Nuremberg is not a documentary, nor is it a remake of Stanley Kramer’s 1961 Oscar winner Judgment at Nuremberg. It is contemporary in its dialogue and editing style, as if to proclaim right up front that this is not some stodgy old-fashioned Hollywood slice of history.
Writer-director James Vanderbilt has crafted a slick but solid film from Jack El-Hai’s book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist. Rami Malek is well cast as a shrink whose job it is to examine the 22 Nazi leaders being held in prison cells and provide insights into their way of thinking. The goal is to feed head prosecutor Michael Shannon enough ammunition to secure a “guilty” verdict from the world court that has assembled at Nuremberg.
His biggest fish—the second in high command right next to Adolf Hitler—is Herman Goering, played with relish by Russell Crowe. The problem is that Malek finds himself drawn to the charismatic (and unapologetic) prisoner. He is a world class games-player who manipulates the younger man and refuses to let his guard down even when he seems to be open and candid.
Vanderbilt, a prolific producer whose screenplay credits include the exceptional true-life thriller Zodiac, weaves several subplots into his two and a half hour film, offering good roles to veteran Richard E. Grant and up-and-comer Leo Woodall. The film moves at a brisk pace with only a few lulls.
Best of all, the movie isn’t consumed with self-importance, despite some obvious parallels to current events. This is entertainment that happens to be rooted in reality about a day of reckoning the likes of which the world hasn’t seen in a long, long time.
