Nuremberg: El Juicio del Siglo

Probably the best new movie I have seen in a very long time. Great performances and interesting plotlines. The "cat and mouse" relationship between Malek and Crowe is ever changing and complex. Very timeless story of the ascent of evil rings very true today. Much different than Judgment at Nuremberg, and maybe not as good, but still a must see movie.

I saw this film at the AFI Film Fest in Hollywood. I was not aware of the psychiatrist's (Rami Malek) involvement with Goering (Russell Crowe) before and during the trial, and that was some of the best parts of the movie. Also interesting was the part that Sgt. Howie Triest (Leo Woodhall) played during the trial - I had not heard of his story before, and I have read and studied a lot about WWII. Russell Crowe is brilliant as Goering and Malek is very good but not perfect. Now for some of the issues I have the film. The portrayal of Goering on the witness stand was very good, but it was not accurate - the movie implies that it was all in one day and it was not. Also, I did not like Slattery's over the top performance as the warden of the prison. Michael Shannon's performance as Justice Jackson was adequate but not compelling or accurate. There are some other minor inaccuracies that cause me to delete a couple of points from an otherwise excellent film, but I definitely recommend it for fans of fine drama.

This is a well told story of a little known part of the Nuremberg trials. It holds your attention right from the off with a well paced script and outstanding performances throughout.

Of course there is a little bit of artistic licence but if I want 100% historical accuracy I would read a book or watch a documentary. As a drama though this works very well.

Using some b&w imagery to give more of a sense of the time, in the trial scenes when actual archive footage of the holocaust is used it all adds to the sense of watching something from the time.

There is one small aspected that irked me a little bit where certain characters are given some dialogue to shoehorn some facts and timeline. It felt a little bit as though the audience weren't trusted enough to know some basic facts. That may well be true but I doubt those people wouldn't be in the audience anyway.

That aside it is a very very good film. What makes it stand apart though are the performances from Russell Crowe and Rami Malek in particular. Michael Shannon also shines and although a smaller part there is one scene in particular where Richard E Grant stands out. I would not be surprised to see award nominations coming soon.

Do not listen to the want to be Historians on this site. Was the movie 100% accurate, absolutely not, but neither was Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Fury, etc. However, this movie was very well done and told another side of the Nuremberg trials. My wife is not someone who watches WW2 movies, but she was captivated by this movie. Russel Crowe did a wonderful job playing Goering. Do yourself a favor and go watch the movie and enjoy it. It really is a movie that will stick with you for awhile.

This film was incredibly good. The soundtrack was spectacular, in the cinema you could just FEEL the historic weight of the events the film centers around. The pacing was also perfect, for a historic drama, its 140 minutes felt incredibly short. The cast and the acting was great as well. But most importantly, the deeper meaning and the messages of the film are just so important, and were delivered spectacularly. You just walk out with a pit in your stomach.

I still had some minor problems with the film, for example that it has some of the classic Hollywood US-centrism. I appreciate that the film was based mainly on a book, focusing on the relationship between the american psychiatrist and Göring, but I would have loved some more focus on other important figures. We didn't hear one single word from a russian or french judge or prosecutor for example. Some moments also felt a bit too unrealistic or theatrical for me, Jacksons meeting with the pope comes to mind, or the role and treatment of the psychiatrist in some parts. Also, it would have been great if Görings actor could have been german, but Russell Crowe makes up for it with an incredible performance, so I'll let that one go.

All in all the positives far outweigh the negatives for me though. A highly important, thought-provoking and entertaining film.