Parents' Guide to Nuremberg

Part historical drama and part psychological character study, this take on the legendary tribunal features masterful performances by Crowe and Malek. Unlike the 1961's classic Judgment at Nuremberg, Nuremberg focuses more on the psychiatric evaluations leading up to the trial and less on the trial itself. Crowe is nearly unrecognizable as Hitler's political heir, the creator of the Gestapo and one-time president of the Reichstag. Malek meets Crowe's intensity: Both actors enjoy grandstanding monologues, while Woodall and Shannon are finely honed and quietly powerful in their roles as well. The all-star cast is bolstered by notable actors in smaller roles, including John Slattery, Colin Hanks, and a pitch-perfect Richard E. Grant as Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe, the smooth-talking English prosecuting counsel. And Dieter Riesle is memorable as detestable antisemitic newspaper publisher/Nazi propagandist Julius Streicher.

Vanderbilt's screenplay leans into the conversational cat-and-mouse elements of psychological thrillers, with each man easily able to read the other in Göring and Kelley's scenes together. The psychiatrist stands in for viewers, pressing Göring to reveal his secrets and motivations and feeling simultaneously horrified and in awe. The movie also doesn't shy away from exploring whether the Nuremberg trials were as fair as the Allied powers wanted to believe they were (vs. more of a show, as Göring believes), and whether the evils of Nazi ideology and power could ever occur elsewhere—including in the United States. Bottom line? This is a powerful film that centers dialogue and reflection.