Rami Malek and Russell Crowe Dominate a Very Long “Nuremberg”

Going into something called “Nuremberg,” there’s no delusion that anything will be taken lightly. But as much as you can prepare yourself, there’s really nothing in the world that can get you ready for the Nazi concentration camp footage shown during later trial scenes.

Based on “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist” by Jack El-Hai, adapted and directed by James Vanderbilt, “Nuremberg” takes you on a journey into the relationship between psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) and Adolf Hitler’s second-in-command, Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe). Malek and Crowe do incredible work throughout, building an uneasy trust between the two characters. 

“They almost took over the world.”

Kelley is a bit arrogant and becomes too quickly enamored with Göring. “Inflated sense of self, charming, speaks English,” he said, shortly after meeting the Nazi. Charming? This particular and peculiar sentiment gets questioned by competing psychologist Gustave Gilbert (Collin Hanks) later on. Kelley also shares that Göring withholding his ability to speak English was a sign of a lack of trust that he intended to earn. Early on establishing Kelley’s quick deductive skills and uncanny ability to adapt to whatever is laid out in front of him.

One of the most visually compelling moments was the introduction montage to the rest of the imprisoned Nazis: Robert Ley (Tom Keune), Karl Dönitz (Peter Jordan), Julius Streicher (Dieter Riesle), and later, with Rudolf Hess (Andreas Pietschmann). Played brazenly and perfectly evil, it’s an uncomfortable reel of casual antisemitism and grand delusion. 

“They almost took over the world,” Kelley said to his translator, Sgt. Howie Triest (Leo Woodall). His barely concealed gleeful and giddy eagerness to find what makes monsters tick, makes him less an ally and more an opportunist. Rumors of “work camps” being, in fact, death camps for the Jewish population build in the background of the film, making the later confirmation, although already known, still a punch in the gut.

When Kelley helps save Göring’s life from a heart attack, things start to shift between them. The two men fabricate an uneasy truce that leads to some semblance of a real friendship. It starts slow with an uncertain Kelley delivering the Nazi’s letters to his wife and daughter hidden away, after his surrender. It crescendos into Kelley getting way too involved in the family life, something he desperately craves, but isn’t fully explored.

All of this is obviously so far beyond “doctor–patient confidentiality” and distracts Kelley to the point where he misses cues from an obviously suicidal Ley, who managed to escape the upcoming trial in elaborate fashion. Because of this failure, the aforementioned Gilbert is brought in to “assist” Kelley, i.e. take over completely. Hanks and Malek are a delight to watch play off each other, especially when they get into a bit of fisticuffs, or whatever they called it back then.

Justice for many, or a few

While all of this intense storytelling is going on, the logistics of how the Nuremberg trials got set up is told through Justice Robert H. Jackson’s (Michael Shannon) fight to get the Nazis tried in an international court. Something that wasn’t even thought of at that time, “no legal precedent” or international law set to do it. This part of the plot, while at times dull, was actually a learning experience about how global criminals are tried and ultimately how the United Nations came to be.   

Shannon has always been a powerhouse in every single project he’s ever been in. His conviction, his booming voice, his quick steps are what keep you locked in to any character he plays. It’s not easy to keep all this intricate legalese engaging, but he damn sure does it. As Justice Jackson, he essentially blackmails the Pope, calling out the Catholic Church’s role in legitimizing the Nazi Party. He circumvents his own country’s government because he believes the law of the land should be applied everywhere. He steps aside in the most important trial of his career, because he sees the bigger picture is more important than his own ambitions.

The lead-up to the trial itself takes over an hour to get to, but when it arrives, it’s captivating in its horrificness. Six minutes of the actual “Nazi Concentration Camps” footage that was shown during the real trials were on display here. There’s really no words to describe it and eventually, I had to look away. It’s poignant and incredibly smart, if painful, to include parts of the film produced by John Ford, footage compiled from the Army’s liberation of the camps.

The only good Nazi is a dead Nazi

With its near two and a half hour run time, “Nuremberg” might, at times, feel too long. It is undeniably raw in its depiction of the Nazis; they’re arrogant, but scared of punishment, they wholeheartedly followed Hitler without doubt, and they were weasley cowards who lost. But amidst this horror, you never lose sight of Kelley and his slow descent into self-destruction. The film isn’t just a history lesson, but a warning that we must weed out evil rooting itself so deeply in people’s insecurities, before it can bring an entire world to heel. 

With everything going on in the world, “Nuremberg” couldn’t have been released at a more perfect time. More people should see white supremacists as the lying, losing, wimps they have always been.