'Nuremberg': A Chilling New Look at the Genesis of the HISTORICAL Trials

A powerful new film from writer-director James Vanderbilt revisits the consequential period immediately following the cessation of World War II in Europe, when the international community grappled with how to hold the surviving architects of Hitler’s Nazi regime accountable for their committed atrocities. While U.S. Congress advocated for swift executions, chief U.S. prosecutor Robert H. Jackson (Michael Shannon) fought for the establishment of an unprecedented international tribunal. Jackson's persistence set the stage for the Nuremberg trials, the world’s first legal proceedings addressing crimes against the peace.

Vanderbilt's compelling production, which looks poised to be a significant awards season contender, takes its primary inspiration from Jack El-Hai's 2013 book, The Nazi and the Psychiatrist. The narrative is built around the complex and fraught relationship between the American Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) and his most notorious patient, former Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe).

As Jackson diligently worked to assemble the tribunal, involving the U.S., England, France, and the Soviet Union, Kelley was tasked with conducting psychiatric assessments of Göring and 21 other war criminals. His mission was two-fold: to evaluate their mental state and, more urgently, to preempt potential suicides before the prisoners could face justice.

Kelley viewed this as a groundbreaking opportunity to "psychologically define evil." He devised a plan to cultivate trust with Göring, but the Nazi leader proved equally cunning. Crowe delivers a meticulously measured performance, every word carrying calculated weight, while Malek's portrayal of the intrepid psychiatrist captures the escalating tension of their interaction. Kelley quickly observes Göring's evident narcissism and "inflated sense of self," traits the Reichsmarschall uses to launch his own strategic charm offensive.

Vanderbilt’s direction, unconstrained by a conventional three-act structure, builds the escalating drama between Kelley and Göring in a manner reminiscent of the compelling character sparring seen in the director's acclaimed screenplay for David Fincher’s Zodiac. Dariusz Wolski’s cinematography utilizes constant, tight close-ups, allowing little room for the actors to hide, resulting in what are considered some of the best performances of Crowe and Malek’s careers.

The commanding ensemble cast is uniformly powerful. Michael Shannon is steadfastly effective as the lead prosecutor Jackson. Leo Woodall (known for The White Lotus) delivers a particularly poignant performance as Sgt. Howie Triest, the American soldier who served as Kelley’s German interpreter; Triest's powerful monologue recounting his personal backstory is noted for its emotional resonance. Supporting roles are ably filled by Richard E. Grant as the calm, collected British chief prosecutor David Maxwell Fyfe, and John Slattery as U.S. Army Colonel and Nuremberg prison commandant Burton Andrus, whose ironic duty was to keep the condemned prisoners alive until their sentences could be carried out.

Unlike the 1961 classic Judgment at Nuremberg, which focused on different aspects of the proceedings, Vanderbilt’s film holds back on the courtroom drama until later in the story. However, it does not shy away from including extensive, horrific archival footage from the concentration camps, presented as evidence by Jackson's prosecution team. Though these disturbing images may be familiar to some, they serve to bring the Holocaust into chilling focus for those who have seemingly forgotten the lessons of the atrocities the world once vowed never to repeat. In the face of recent global developments, Vanderbilt’s exploration of what historian Hannah Arendt termed "the banality of evil" has lent the historical events a chilling, consequential contemporary relevance. The film was met with a rare, sustained standing ovation at its world premiere at TIFF, signaling growing awards buzz ahead of its November 7 release.