Nuremberg - Never forget

“The only clue to what man can do is what man has done”.

The fantastic movie Nuremberg (now on Netflix) ends with this line from British philosopher R.G. Collingwood. It’s a chilling reminder, especially in this day and age, of the paradoxical banality of pure evil. It doesn’t always have to come dressed in the imperial Nazi uniform of Reichsmarshall Hermann Göring, it can come in a regular blue suit with a long red tie or any other common attire, regardless of country, race or religion.

Based on the book, “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist”, it tells the story of the Nuremberg war crimes trials thru the relationship between Göring (Russell Crowe) and Major Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek), a US Army psychiatrist tasked with understanding Göring (and other Nazi high command) and the nature of evil. It’s a tall order and the battle of wits keeps shifting the balance of power from one to the other. The seductive charisma that Crowe brings to the character is chilling and helps us understand why millions of people succumbed to the heady brew of nationalism, appeal to a lost identity, a feeling of being wronged and victimized and a readily identifiable common foe on whom to pin the blame. Malek portrays the turmoil in his character perfectly to show the mixture of angst, guilt and savior complex. The rest of the sterling ensemble cast, with Michael Shannon as Justice Jackson the chief prosecutor, John Slattery as Camp Commandant Andrus in charge of the Nazi inmates on trial and Leo Woodall as Sgt Triest who plays a German translator but also serves as the moral compass of the movie, does a yeoman job of bringing other facets of the story together.

With the Oscars this Sunday, it seems an absolute travesty that this movie was completely shut out of nominations in any category. The entire Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences should be put on trial for that.

March 15, 2026