A trial of horrors, where man must face what he is capable of. That is my synopsis of ‘‘Nuremberg,’’ starring Russel Crowe and Rami Malke — directed by Jame Vanderbilt.
‘‘Nuremberg’’ is a biopic that covers the events immediately following the surrender of Germany and the right-hand-man of Hitler, Hermann Goring.
Goring, who is played by Crowe, is a narcissistic, cerebral war general, who refuses to admit any wrongdoing or inhumanity in his actions.
The other lead, Malke, plays Dougles Kelly — the psychiatrist the army brings in to mentally evaluate the high ranking Nazis, and more importantly, prevent them from taking their own lives in prison.
I think both Crowe and Malke give outstanding performances in this film.
Starting out with Crowe’s performance, the character of Goring is a complicated one. He is charming, intelligent and flattering to those around him – but at the same time, there is something sinister inside. Pride in his own ability and superiority ultimately lead him down a path of unredeemable evil. That same pride would also cause him to confess his own guilt.
Crowe shows every side of this man. The family man, the ego, his unusual sense of humor and that wrath he possesses. It is odd to say this of a biopic, but Crowe brings that man to life in a way that is eerie.
Malke’s role is simpler, but still executed to perfection. Kelly is a young, glory-seeking scientist that seeks to achieve fame and prominence from the book he hopes to publish from his time with Hitler’s inner circle of evil. However, as he gets closer and closer to Goring and the other Nazis, this job becomes less about making money and more about coming to the shocking realization that most of these men are sane.
This is where this movie differentiates itself from all of the many movies made about the Holocaust and the Nazis. This movie is exploring the idea that these men are no different from you and me. That these men are not some story book villains, but normal people — and that is what makes it so horrifying.
While watching, I was reminded of Sinclair Lewis’ novel, “It Can’t Happen Here,” which is a speculative fiction piece set in America, exploring the idea of how quickly a society can turn bad. This idea that these things we read in the news or see on TV are incapable of happening in our own country, is a dangerous one and should be removed from our minds.
One more outstanding thing from this movie was the performance given by Leo Woodal. He played a translator named, Sgt. Howard Treiest. I do not want to give away too much about his character, because I think you should find out when you watch it, but he plays the character of the young, idealist soldier very well.
Micheal Shannon as Supreme Court Justice Jackson, was fine, but was definitely overshadowed by the other lead actors.
Overall, this was one of the most thought-provoking movies I have seen in a while. And as it is not in theatres for too much longer, I would rush to the cinemas of your choice to go see it.
8/10 rating
