James Vanderbilt's new film Nuremberg, about the trials of Nazi war criminals, prioritises spectacle over authenticity, according to critics. Starring Russell Crowe as Hermann Göring and Rami Malek as psychiatrist Douglas M Kelley, the movie is described as 'swish yet glib' and packaged like old-fashioned entertainment.
The film focuses on the psychological chess match between Kelley, tasked with monitoring the prisoners' mental health, and Göring, who seeks to use the trial as a platform for Nazi ideals. Crowe and Malek are praised as 'hugely watchable', trading snappy barbs in smoky rooms, but the gravity of the Holocaust and the legal proceedings is often kept at bay.
Vanderbilt, who wrote the screenplay for David Fincher's Zodiac, leans into the showmanship of the trials. However, the review notes that the film reduces Kelley's psychiatric insights into soundbites and succumbs to courtroom clichés. A pivotal scene showing real footage from concentration camps fails to deliver the weight the narrative avoids.
The film also draws parallels to modern politics, with Göring echoing the slogan 'made us feel German again'. Yet the review argues that the spectacle of Nuremberg remains hollow, as international law has not prevented atrocities like those in Gaza. Ultimately, Nuremberg is seduced by the entertainment value it should critique.
