Nuremberg

Following the fall of the Nazi empire in Germany, 22 Nazi government and military leaders were tried in an IMT, or International Military Tribunal, held in Nuremberg, Germany.  Attorneys and judges were assembled from the Allied countries of the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Russia (USSR).  Witnesses were called by both the prosecution and defense.  The Nuremberg Trials were the first international trials held against a defeated adversary.  Defendants were charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity, plotting and waging war, and so forth.  The goal was to ensure that nothing like WWII would ever happen again.

Hermann Goering

The most sought-after defendant was Hitler’s right-hand man, Hermann Goering.  He was tried first, with the thought that if the IMT were able to successfully prosecute Goering, the remaining defendants would be easier to convict.  James Vanderbilt’s latest picture “Nuremberg” re-creates the Nuremberg case against Goering, giving particular attention to his relationship with US Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley, brought to Nuremberg by the allies to determine if Goering is mentally fit to stand trial.

Based on an original screenplay, “Nuremberg” is easily Vanderbilt’s most engaging film.  Most of his work has been mainstream fare, like “The Amazing Spider-Man,” “Scream,” and “Independence Day: Resurgence.”  Here, he aims for a home run with a decidedly “adult’ film.  And he almost gets one.

Rami Malek

Rami Malek plays the young, confident shrink, while fellow Oscar-winner Russell Crowe plays the more seasoned, and over-confident defendant.  It doesn’t take long for Kelley to determine that Goering is not delusional, but he does have an over-inflated opinion of himself.  “Narcissist” is the word Kelley latches onto during his first meeting with the brutal Nazi leader.  And the remainder of his time with Goering is spent building Goering’s confidence that (a) he can share anything he wants with Kelley, and (b) that he can beat the charges against him.  While Kelley believes Goering will be convicted, he knows Goering won’t talk unless he feels comfortable doing so.  That’s a tough egg to crack with a personality so egotistical.  It falls on Kelley to, in a sense, become Goering’s friend.

Sometimes, Malek seems as though he’s pandering.  But he, in fact, is.  This is the best performance of his young career, and unlike his Oscar-winning turn in “Bohemian Rhapsody,” here his character is both three-dimensional and completely believable.  I don’t know if Kelley was actually somewhat narcissistic himself, but Vanderbilt has written the character that way.  Perhaps Kelley sees a little bit of an exaggeration of his own personality during his time spent with Goering.  In an early scene, Kelley woos a young American lady he meets in a German nightclub with a card trick.  He uses magic tricks throughout the film to curry favor with others.

Russell Crowe

As for Crowe, he plays the self-confidence angle well, without resorting to bombast.  The fact that he continues to don his Nazi uniform even when sitting alone in his cell speaks volumes, in a quiet, reserved way.  I kept wanting an outburst from him, a la Jack Nicholson’s “You can’t handle the truth” scene from “A Few Good Men.”  But it never comes.  Again, Goering is smart enough to play along with the IMT, all the while completely convinced of his ability to beat the charges and be found innocent.  And Vanderbilt is smart enough not to give us the scene we want – thereby keeping his screenplay grounded in reality, albeit at the expense of a certain amount of cinematic showmanship.

The supporting cast is strong, but I want to draw attention to three actors that stand out to me.  John Slattery (“Mad Men”) is excellent as Burton Andrus, a no-nonsense army officer charged with overseeing the prison where the defendants are housed during the trial.  He lets everyone know he is the man in charge, and he makes all the rules.  Richard E. Grant turns in his best performance since “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” as David Fyffe, one of the primary British counsels at the trial, who ends up playing a pivotal role in the proceedings.

Michael Shannon

But the real gem of a performance here comes from the dependable Michael Shannon as US Supreme Court justice Robert Jackson – a man who has his heart set on being named Chief Justice, and intends to use the Nuremberg Trial to bolster his chances.  Even though the meat of the screenplay is the well-written and well-acted interplay between Goering and Kelley, it is Jackson who must try Goering at the tribunal.  And the drama of a courtroom showdown has served as the apex for many great films throughout the years.  While it’s true that Shannon exerts his usual confidence, he doesn’t overplay his hand, as he occasionally does.  In “Revolutionary Road,” and to a lesser extent in “The Shape of Water,” Shannon was so intense it felt as though he were acting in a different movie from the others.  Not here.  Shannon is restrained yet passionate.

Each of the primary characters gets at least one Oscar-worthy moment to show off his acting chops.  And the screenplay and direction are easily the best of Vanderbilt’s career.  I suspect we’ll see this one at Oscar time.  It may not be as flat-out enjoyable as “One Battle After Another,” but it is an excellent film.

Difficult to watch

Now, I must take this opportunity to mention several sidenotes.  First, people were simply unaware of the atrocities committed at the Nazi concentration camps until after the Germans were defeated and Hitler was deceased.  At the trial, the judges are shown footage of some of the horrors committed against Jews at these camps.  While “Nuremberg” is not otherwise a violent film, this footage is difficult to watch.

Political climate disclaimer

Also, I hate to have to bring this up, but given the fact that Goering suffers from narcissism and expects others to obey his every command – even during his time as a prisoner — some viewers will draw parallels to the current political climate in Washington – even though it was filmed during the previous administration.  Unfortunately, this parallel may increase the chances “Nuremberg” brings home a bevy of Oscars.  It has always been my firm belief that all films should be judged solely on their merit, and not on the politics du jour.

Not a remake

And finally, it should be stated that “Nuremberg” is not a remake of Stanley Kramer’s 1961 classic “Judgment at Nuremberg,” which starred Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, and a host of others.  Young Maximilian Schell won Best Actor for that film.  That picture was about the Nuremberg Trials, but all the characters were fictitious.  This one is fact-based, and its characters were real people.

Save for a surprising lack of dramatic tension during the final trial scene, “Nuremberg” hits all the right notes.  It may not rise to the level of greatness achieved by a handful of other films so far this year, but it is certainly very good, and mostly very engaging.

 

 

 

 

 

Andy Ray‘s reviews also appear on https://townepost.com/tag/film-reviews/