Nuremberg - Confronting Evil On Trial

By Neil Keller

Dec 10, 2025

As Someone Who Speaks Nationwide On “Jewish Athletes During The Holocaust,” I Approached James Vanderbilt’s New Film Nuremberg With Deep Interest. The Subject Matter—The Postwar Trials Of Nazi Leaders—Remains One Of The Most Consequential Chapters In Modern History. Vanderbilt, Who Wrote, Co-Produced, And Directed The Film, Premiered It At The Toronto International Film Festival In September 2025 To A Four-Minute Standing Ovation.

The film dramatizes the uneasy relationship between U.S. Army Psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (played by Rami Malek) and Hermann Goring (Russell Crowe), Hitler’s second-in-command. Kelley was tasked with evaluating whether Goring and other high-ranking Nazis were fit to stand trial. What unfolds is a tense psychological duel, as Kelley seeks Goring’s trust while secretly hoping to profit from a book about him.

Historical Weight and Personal Connection

For me, Goring is not just a figure in history books. I own original photographs of him near Hitler on two different days at the 1936 Berlin Olympics—images that capture the spectacle of Nazi power before the world fully grasped its brutality. These photos were among a whole album Purchased from a fan who attended the 1936 Olympics.

In the two photos, Goring is easy to point out as he was an overweight man and often wore light colored uniforms when he stood by Hitler.

In the film, Goring’s declining health and being overweight are depicted with unsettling accuracy, underscoring the grotesque contrast between his public image and the crimes he helped orchestrate.

The trials began in November 1945 and continued until 1949, with Goring as the most prominent defendant. The film reminds us that Hitler had already committed suicide in April 1945, leaving Goring and others to face justice. Kelley’s interviews reveal the arrogance and denial of these men, particularly Goring, who insists he knew nothing of the atrocities.

Drama and Ethical Questions

Vanderbilt’s script heightens the drama by showing Kelley’s moral compromises. He agrees to help Goring communicate with his wife and daughter in exchange for information about Rudolf Hess, who claimed amnesia. Kelley’s willingness to blur professional boundaries raises troubling questions: can proximity to evil ever be justified in pursuit of truth?

The film also depicts the suicides of Nazi prisoners, which forced the U.S. Army to bring in additional psychiatrists. These moments highlight the psychological strain of holding men accountable for crimes so vast they defy comprehension.

One of the most powerful sequences comes when prosecutors present footage of concentration camp atrocities—bulldozers pushing heaps of Jewish bodies to clear a path. Kelley, shaken, confronts Goring, who continues to deny responsibility. The audience shares Kelley’s horror, reminded that these crimes were not abstract but brutally real.

Narrative Tension

The film introduces a subplot involving a Boston Globe journalist, Lila, who befriends Kelley. When he carelessly reveals private conversations with Goring, she publishes them, leading to Kelley’s dismissal. Though dramatized, this episode underscores the fragility of trust and the consequences of ethical lapses.

Another poignant moment comes when Kelley meets Triest, a German who quietly reveals he is Jewish. Triest explains that Nazi cruelty thrived because it went unchallenged by a complacent public. His words resonate as a timeless warning: silence enables barbarism. Inspired, Kelley turns over his private notes to the prosecution, which proves crucial in convicting Goring.

Justice and Irony

Goring was sentenced to death by hanging, but on the eve of his execution in October 1946, he committed suicide with cyanide. The prosecution was outraged, robbed of the symbolic justice they sought. Kelley returned to the United States and published his book on the 22 Nazis he evaluated, but it sold poorly. Haunted by his experiences, Kelley himself died by cyanide in 1958—the same method Goring used.

The film closes by noting that the Nuremberg trials set precedents for future prosecutions, including the hanging of Adolf Eichmann in 1962 and the pursuit of Nazi fugitives for decades.

Final Reflection

Nuremberg is not an easy film to watch, nor should it be. It forces viewers to confront the brutality of evil, and the moral compromises made in its shadow. As a historian, I was struck by its attention to detail and its willingness to explore the psychological dimensions of justice.

One leaves the theater in silence, confronted by the chilling reminder that cruelty thrives when met with apathy. Robin Oberman, a realtor from Boca Raton, saw the movie and said, “Very thorough and fact based film. I learned a lot and was educated.”

Elysa Klaus, another realtor from Boca Raton asked, “How did Goring get the cyanide?” She added, “Goring had the arrogance of suicide so he could not face his true punishment by hanging, which he would have deserved.”

The film is both a historical drama and a moral reckoning, urging us never to forget how humans can treat other humans in such barbaric ways.

Neil Keller is a Jewish historian. Visit: www.NeilKeller.com to learn who is Jewish.

The photos are not from the movie, I bought these photos and a whole album from a fan who went to the games that went from August 1 to 15, 1936 in Berlin.

Both photos are from the August 1936 games at Olympic Stadium "Hitler and Goring" shows Hitler watching the games. Goring is wearing his white uniform at the end of the row.