Given the last few films Russell Crowe has attached himself to, and with a wild accent to boot (Thor: Love and Thunder, The Pope's Exorcist, Kraven the Hunter), one would be understood if they were hesitant in the actor once again delighting in heavily accented work as German Nazi politician and convicted war criminal, Hermann Göring, in James Vanderbilt's historical thriller Nuremberg.

 

Vanderbilt, whose career has largely consisted of more popcorn genre titles, with writing credits on The Amazing Spider-Man, White House Down, and the last two Scream outings, may not seem like the most obvious name to document one of history's most prolific trials, but his mainstream sensibility lends itself quite confidently to the psychological thriller Nuremberg ultimately plays out as.

 

Working from Jack El-Hai's book "The Nazi and the Psychiatrist", Vanderbilt sets the film's predominant focus around American psychiatrist Douglas Kelly (Rami Malek) and his testing of the sanity of Göring (Crowe, really quite imposing), who is really quite charming, in spite of his cunning nature.

 

It really does speak to how good Crowe is (it's such a wonderful reminder of his genuine talent) that in a cast so littered with reliable talent - Michael Shannon as the US supreme court justice, Richard E. Grant as a British prosecutor, Leo Woodall (wonderfully tender) as a Jewish translator - he's the one who walks away with it all.

 

The courtroom scenes that the back-end of the film showcase have an old-school temperament to both how their lit and are set-up as a pure showcase for the ensemble cast to indulge in the script's more melodramatic inclinations. But with that, the almost Aaron Sorkin-like dialogue is offset by some confronting imagery of real-life footage from concentration camps which could prove too triggering or unnecessary for audiences enjoying a glossy, entertaining take on an incredibly serious matter.

 

Ultimately, despite a hefty 148 minute running time, Nuremberg never feels as if it overstays its welcome or drags beyond the necessary. It's far more entertaining than its subject could imply.