Nuremberg

Over sixty years ago, Judgment at Nuremberg - in both Abby Mann's teleplay and his screenplay for Stanley Kramer's film - offered a fictionalized look at the Nuremberg trials following World War II. We now have a new film chronicling actual people and events in the actual trials, whose eightieth anniversary arrives next week. This is Nuremberg.

Upon Nazi Germany’s defeat in 1945, Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe), Hitler’s right-hand man and an architect of the Holocaust, willingly surrenders to the Allies. A few months later, Göring and a few of his fellow Nazis are about to stand trial at the city of Nuremberg. Back then, trying someone for crimes against humanity was new territory for the judicial system. The Allies would rather skip the trial and go for the punishment, but head prosecutors Robert H. Jackson (Michael Shannon) and Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe (Richard E. Grant) would still like to give the Nazis some chance.

Psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) is sent over to evaluate the prisoners. He wants to know what makes the Nazis tick, which draws him to the affable Göring. His superiors are worried that his judgment is being compromised. It's not help by the fact that Kelley really wants to write a book about his experiences (director James Vanderbilt uses a different book, Jack El-Hai's The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, for the basis of his screenplay). But fortunately for them, Kelley's relationship with Göring evaporates once he realizes the extent of the Holocaust. That's basically it, and it takes 148-minutes to tell it. 

Much like Judgment at Nuremberg, the screenplay works as a bit of allegory. As Göring justifies his atrocities by basically saying "they let us do it," you might think of a certain modern administration - who shall be nameless - and their actions. Its thickest allegory comes at the epilogue, when we learn that Kelley killed himself after his warnings that "it could happen here" were ignored. It's also surprisingly funny, particularly with its love of the Gilligan Cut gag. For example, a character worries that the Russians won't join the Tribunals; one cut later, and "we've got the Russians on-board!" The film exposits the other defendants' crimes through faux newsreels; Rudolf Hess (Andreas Pietschmann), Hitler's other right-hand man, gets the silliest one. You'll just have to see it for yourself.

As Kelley, Malek is rather smug as he confidently confides with a reporter (Lydia Peckham) that he can deal with the Nazis. He's not entirely wrong, as he gets Göring talking in English with a timely insult. Meanwhile, he altruistically bonds with Göring's wife and daughter (Lotte Verbeek & Fleur Bremmer), and is really distraught when the Allies apprehend them. His best piece of acting comes after he angrily confronts Göring after he views footage of the concentration camps. 

And then, there is Russell Crowe as Herr Göring. When we first meet him, he’s anything but a heartless, unfeeling monster—instead, he’s rather cordial and big fun personified. Don't worry, as that polite image starts to evaporate after the concentration camp reels. He insists he never meant for the "Final Solution" to happen, but he doesn’t seem all that remorseful about it, either. It especially doesn't help his case when he claims that the footage was staged. Fyfe even uses Göring’s lack of remorse against him during his cross-examination. Crowe does a spectacular job layering the depths of Göring's evil, and it should be a performance that gets him back into the Oscar race.

Most of the supporting cast is fine, though they do get a few big moments to shine. I already mentioned Fyfe's climactic cross-examination, but Sgt. Howie Triest (Leo Woodall), Kelley's initial interpreter, gets one of his own earlier. There, Triest reveals his hidden German Jewish heritage to Kelley, who has just been benched for insubordination. We feel the weight of his every word as he describes how he was personally affected by the Holocaust. That moment motivates Kelley to get back into the fight. Among the co-defendants, Julius Streicher (Dieter Riesle), the chief propagandist, stands out for how completely his bravado crumbles at the end.

What can you expect from the technical crew? Well, you can expect a perfectly gloomy world as visualized by production designer Eve Stewart and cinematographer Dariusz Wolski. Of particular note is how we see the Palace of Justice repaired in short order for the Tribunals. It's kind of impressively, really. Bartholomew Cariss's costume designs are adequate, but Jackson's blue suit really stands out in this literally gray world. Finally, we can thank Tom Eagles for those clever editing gags, and Brian Tyler for the perfectly somber score. I think I said enough.

Yes, Nuremberg is a long movie, but it's shorter than Judgment at Nuremberg's three hours. It probably didn't need to be too long, but at least it had a great ensemble and dialogue to keep my attention. It can be entertaining, but it's also very sobering, and I think I already said why. It's worth checking out any time, even well after November, and especially after the Academy Awards. Still, I'll understand if you prefer something else this holiday season; you have your choices.