‘Nuremberg’ Is a Disappointing Historical Drama That Falls Short of Its Potential

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The film Nuremberg features two Oscar-winning actors and a strong supporting cast, and it tackles the important subject of holding Nazi leaders accountable for their crimes during the historic war crimes trial. Despite this promising foundation, the movie doesn’t quite live up to its potential. It feels more like a list of facts than a compelling story, with weak connections between important scenes. The talented cast isn’t used effectively, resulting in flat performances that don’t add much drama. Russell Crowe delivers a typically strong performance as Hermann Göring, and the film’s visuals are appropriately serious, but unfortunately, everything else falls short.

The film begins by showing the devastation following World War II, which claimed 70 million lives. On May 7, 1945, in Salzburg, Austria, a car carrying a high-ranking Nazi official drives past refugees walking along a ruined road. As the car stops, Allied soldiers, on alert, quickly surround it. Hermann Göring, Hitler’s right-hand man, surrenders with his family, but audaciously asks the soldiers to retrieve his luggage from the car’s trunk before taking him into custody.

In Washington D.C., Robert H. Jackson, a Supreme Court Justice and potential future Chief Justice, learns about the capture of Hermann Göring. While Allied leaders want to execute top Nazis, Jackson argues against this, fearing it would make them martyrs. He believes a proper legal trial is essential to deliver true justice and establish a solid case against them. Jackson’s vision for this trial begins to form after a personal visit to Vatican City, where he speaks with Pope Pius XII.


Sony Pictures Classics

On a train in Luxembourg, Army psychiatrist Major Douglas Kelley, brimming with confidence, performs magic for a journalist. He arrives in Nuremberg to meet Colonel Burton Andrus, the warden of the prison holding 22 high-ranking Nazi leaders. Kelley is shocked when Andrus asks him to assess the Nazis – particularly Göring – to determine their mental fitness for trial. Andrus wants to ensure they are fully aware of their actions and capable of being executed. Kelley sees this as a chance to make a name for himself as he comes face-to-face with the defiant Göring.

The film Nuremberg highlights the clash between Kelley’s confidence and Göring’s disturbing self-absorption and dishonesty. Kelley needs to earn Göring’s confidence so he can relay crucial information to Jackson, who is building a case for the death penalty under intense global scrutiny. A failure to secure a guilty verdict for any of the Nazi defendants would be catastrophic. Kelley quickly realizes how challenging this will be, as Göring is a master manipulator who seems likely to avoid punishment. This realization only fuels Kelley’s determination to understand how to gain Göring’s trust and ensure Jackson achieves the right outcome.

The first part of Nuremberg introduces the characters and setting, but quickly runs into a storytelling problem: issues are raised and resolved too quickly, without sufficient explanation. This is particularly noticeable with how the trial procedures are set up. For example, the Soviets initially didn’t want to be involved, yet suddenly they’re participating. The story moves forward constantly, skipping over necessary background information and leaving plot points unexplained. We also don’t understand why Kelley was chosen for this role, given that he’s clearly disliked. Similarly, the identities and selection process of the Allied judges remain a mystery. Director and co-writer James Vanderbilt, known for his work on films like Zodiac and The Amazing Spider-Man, and as a producer of the Scream franchise, tends to skip over important details, making everything feel too convenient and reliant on unbelievable coincidences, much like Kelley’s questionable actions.


Sony Pictures Classics

As Göring and Kelley’s relationship develops, the horrifying reality of the death camps is revealed. The film Nuremberg doesn’t shy away from showing the immense scale, brutality, and horrific implementation of Hitler’s plan to exterminate the Jews. The long-held rumors about what happened are confirmed in disturbing detail. The filmmaker intends for this stark portrayal to be a turning point for Kelley, forcing him to recognize Göring’s monstrous involvement and abandon any remaining sympathy. However, considering the Nazis had already murdered millions of innocent people and Allied soldiers, it’s difficult to accept that Kelley was genuinely unaware. It’s hard to fathom how Göring could be so charming that Kelley remained captivated, as if failing to recognize the pure evil within him.

Watching Nuremberg, I was really drawn into the face-off between Göring and Jackson during the trial. The movie shows Jackson as a good man, but one who isn’t afraid to push things to get the job done. He’s got a lot of courage, but honestly, I felt like Göring completely dominated him on the stand – I just knew Göring was going to win that exchange. The ending, though, was really confusing. A sudden, unexpected event kind of ruined what should have been the most impactful scene. It just didn’t live up to what I expected and felt a little forced.

Okay, so Nuremberg throws a lot of characters at you, but honestly, it really only focuses on Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, and Michael Shannon. Crowe is reliably great – he can do that big, dramatic thing in his sleep – and he does deliver. But even his performance isn’t enough to save the movie from its other issues. It’s basically a decent history lesson, but as a film, it doesn’t really go beyond that. It just doesn’t quite work as a compelling drama, you know?

Nuremberg will be released theatrically on November 7 from Sony Pictures Classics.

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2025-11-07 21:33