⚖️Nuremberg (2025) — A Chilling Battle of Minds in the Aftermath of War

“Justice must not only be done — it must be understood.”

James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg (2025) is more than a courtroom drama — it’s a haunting descent into the psyche of evil itself. Based on Jack El-Hai’s acclaimed book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, this historical psychological thriller brings to life the true story of the Nuremberg Trials, where the world first confronted the monsters of World War II — not on the battlefield, but across a psychiatrist’s desk.

Premiering at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, the film received an extraordinary four-minute standing ovation, a testament to its power, tension, and humanity. Now, it’s headed to theaters — releasing in the U.S. and Canada on November 7, 2025, and in UK cinemas on November 14 as a Sky Original.

🧠 The Story: When the War Ends, the Real Battle Begins

In the ruins of postwar Germany, American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) is tasked with an unprecedented mission — to determine whether high-ranking Nazi prisoners are mentally fit to stand trial.

His most formidable subject? Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe) — Hitler’s second-in-command, a man whose intellect is as dangerous as his ideology.

As Kelley probes Göring’s mind, their sessions spiral into a gripping cat-and-mouse duel — part therapy, part interrogation, and entirely psychological warfare.

“You want to understand me, Doctor? Then you must first understand why the world followed me.”

But as the sessions progress, the line between fascination and revulsion begins to blur. Kelley’s obsession with understanding evil risks consuming him, raising a terrifying question: to fight the darkness, how close must you get to it?

🎭 Cast & Performances

Actor	Role
Rami Malek	Dr. Douglas Kelley
Russell Crowe	Hermann Göring
Leo Woodall	Sgt. Howie Triest
Michael Shannon	Robert H. Jackson
Richard E. Grant	David Maxwell Fyfe
John Slattery	Burton C. Andrus
Colin Hanks	Gustave Gilbert
Mark O’Brien	John Amen
Wrenn Schmidt	Elsie Douglas
Lydia Peckham	Lila
Lotte Verbeek	Emmy Göring

Rami Malek’s performance as Douglas Kelley is hauntingly controlled — a man unraveling behind his calm precision. Meanwhile, Russell Crowe gives one of the most unnerving portrayals of his career — his Göring is charismatic, manipulative, and chillingly human.

Their on-screen duel evokes the tense intimacy of Silence of the Lambs but layered with the moral complexity of Schindler’s List.

🎥 Behind the Camera

• Director & Writer: James Vanderbilt

• Based on: The Nazi and the Psychiatrist by Jack El-Hai

• Cinematography: Dariusz Wolski (All the Money in the World, The Martian)

• Editing: Tom Eagles (Jojo Rabbit)

• Music: Brian Tyler (Ad Astra, Crazy Rich Asians)

• Runtime: 148 minutes

• Production: Bluestone Entertainment, Mythology Entertainment, Walden Media

• Distributed by: Sony Pictures Classics

Vanderbilt, known for scripting Zodiac and Truth, uses his investigative instincts to build Nuremberg as both a thriller and a character study. His direction doesn’t just recreate history — it dissects it, inviting us to stare into the face of collective guilt.

⚖️ Themes: Understanding Evil, Defining Justice

Nuremberg dares to ask whether evil can be understood — and if so, does understanding it risk humanizing it?

The film’s strength lies in its quiet horror: the recognition that these war criminals are not supernatural monsters but men — articulate, calculating, and disturbingly rational.

It examines:

• 🧩 The psychology of power and denial

• ⚖️ The birth of international justice

• 🧠 The cost of empathy in the face of atrocity

Through Kelley’s eyes, we witness the birth of modern forensic psychiatry — and the moral collapse that can come with trying to comprehend the incomprehensible.

🕰️ Historical Context

The Nuremberg Trials (1945–1946) were the first of their kind — a reckoning where Nazi leaders were tried for crimes against humanity.

Dr. Douglas Kelley was a real-life Army psychiatrist assigned to study the defendants. His notes on Göring’s personality, intelligence, and lack of remorse became foundational in understanding authoritarian psychology.

“He wasn’t insane,” Kelley once wrote. “He was frighteningly sane.”

Vanderbilt’s film captures that reality — not with spectacle, but with eerie intimacy.

🎞️ Cinematic Tone

With its muted color palette and haunting score by Brian Tyler, Nuremberg feels like a ghost story set in daylight. The interrogation rooms echo with moral tension. Every silence feels weighted with history’s judgment.

Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski frames the film like a memory: sterile halls, smoke-filled offices, and faces illuminated by flickering light — as though the past itself is struggling to stay visible.

🏆 Reception

At its world premiere at TIFF 2025, Nuremberg received one of the festival’s longest ovations — four minutes of sustained applause. Early reviews have praised it as:

“A masterclass in psychological tension and moral complexity.” — Variety “Rami Malek and Russell

Crowe deliver performances that will linger long after the credits.” — The Hollywood Reporter

The film is already generating early Oscar buzz for Best Actor (Malek), Best Supporting Actor (Crowe), and Best Screenplay (Vanderbilt).

🔔 Release Details

• World Premiere: September 7, 2025 – Toronto International Film Festival

• U.S. & Canada Release: November 7, 2025 – Sony Pictures Classics

• UK Cinemas: November 14, 2025 – Sky Original Film

🩶 Final Verdict

Nuremberg (2025) is not an easy watch — nor should it be. It’s a film that asks us to listen to the echoes of the past, to confront what humanity is capable of, and to question how we define justice when morality itself is on trial.

Rami Malek and Russell Crowe deliver career-best performances, and James Vanderbilt cements himself as one of the most fearless storytellers working today.

“The war is over, Doctor,” Göring says in one pivotal moment. “No,” Kelley replies. “It’s just begun.”

🎬 Nuremberg (2025) — where justice meets its darkest reflection.

❓ FAQs About Nuremberg (2025)

Q1. What is Nuremberg (2025) about?

It follows American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley as he evaluates high-ranking Nazi prisoners during the Nuremberg Trials, leading to a tense psychological duel with Hermann Göring.

Q2. Who stars in Nuremberg?

The film stars Rami Malek and Russell Crowe, with Michael Shannon, Leo Woodall, and Richard E. Grant in key supporting roles.

Q3. Who directed Nuremberg?

It is written and directed by James Vanderbilt, known for Zodiac and Truth.

Q4. When is Nuremberg releasing?

It releases on November 7, 2025 in the U.S. and Canada, and November 14, 2025 in the UK.

Q5. Is Nuremberg based on a true story?

Yes, it is inspired by Jack El-Hai’s non-fiction book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, based on the real experiences of Dr. Douglas Kelley during the Nuremberg Trials.

⚖️ “Evil has many faces. Understanding one may cost you your own.”Nuremberg (2025) — In theaters November 7.