While World War II movies are a dime a dozen, it’s not often that audiences get to see what happened after the Nazis were defeated. Nuremberg opens a window into that complicated period of history, immediately after the Allied victory, and showcases how difficult it was to bring the perpetrators to justice on an international scale. Adapted from the 2013 nonfiction book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist by Jack El-Hai, the drama follows the true story of a US Army psychiatrist tasked with evaluating 22 high-ranking Nazis before they stand trial for war crimes committed during WWII. When he forms a troubling bond with one of the former German leaders, his understanding of the nature of evil is tested. James Vanderbilt (Truth) directs the period piece, which stars Russell Crowe and Rami Malek. 

When will Nuremberg be released?

Stream it now.

Who’s in the cast of Nuremberg?

• Russell Crowe (Kraven the Hunter) as Hermann Göring
• Rami Malek (No Time to Die) as Douglas Kelley
• Michael Shannon (Death by Lightning) as Robert H. Jackson
• Leo Woodall (One Day) as Howard Triest
• John Slattery (Unfrosted) as Burton Andrus
• Mark O’Brien (Marriage Story) as John Amen
• Colin Hanks (Orion and the Dark) as Gustave Gilbert
• Wrenn Schmidt (The Starling Girl) as Elsie Douglas
• Lydia Peckham (Cowboy Bebop) as Lila McQuaide
• Richard E. Grant (Too Much) as David Maxwell-Fyfe

What happens in Nuremberg?

As Nazi Germany falls to the Allied forces, American troops capture Hitler’s second-in-command, Hermann Göring (Crowe), in Austria. When US associate Supreme Court justice Robert H. Jackson (Shannon) hears the news, he seizes the opportunity to be part of something never done before: a tribunal of world powers that charges Göring and other surviving Nazi leaders for their war crimes, thereby setting the first precedent on the international prosecution of war criminals. In Jackson’s mind, seeing the dregs of Hitler’s regime legally convicted and sentenced is what the world needs in order to heal. And, if that groundbreaking conviction serves as a warning to other would-be dictators that no man is above the law, then mission accomplished.

As part of Jackson’s uphill battle to create the International Military Tribunal, US Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Malek) is brought in to evaluate the mental health of the prisoners. While Kelley faces contempt and derision from a majority of the criminals, his conversations with Göring are of an entirely different nature. Kelley finds Göring civil, even charming on occasion, but notes that this man is a highly intelligent narcissist who believes with conviction that he’ll walk away without consequences. As Kelley continues his interviews, he’s drawn into a psychological showdown with Göring that makes him question whether there’s any moral high ground in war, or if there are only winners and losers. With the unprecedented trial hanging in the balance, understanding what makes Göring tick is the only way to unravel him on the stand. Can Kelley deliver? Or will Jackson walk into a trap when he questions Göring on the stand?

Is Nuremberg based on a true story?

Yes, Nuremberg is based on the Nuremberg Trials, during which 22 Nazi leaders were tried for their crimes between November 1945 and October 1946 by an international tribunal. 

At the end of WWII, the Allied powers debated what to do with the Nazi war criminals they had captured. While some considered summary execution, US Secretary of War Henry Stimson argued that how the victors dealt with the remnants of the Nazi regime would affect the Allies’ moral standing — especially if they used Hitler’s own heinous methods by executing individuals without trial. 

Jackson then spearheaded the establishment of a legal framework for the trials, which included the creation of three newly prosecuted crimes: crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Göring and other Nazi leaders were individually charged with various combinations of all three, and a year-long series of tribunals established that in a postwar world, justice would be served in a courtroom rather than on the battlefield. 

Many characters in the film are based on real people, including Hermann Göring, Douglas Kelley, Robert H. Jackson, Burton Andrus, John Amen, Gustave Gilbert, David Maxwell-Fyfe, Howard Triest, and Elsie Douglas.

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