Nuremberg

A gripping historical drama with a terrific ensemble cast of Oscar winners Russell Crowe and Rami Malek, plus Oscar nominees Michael Shannon and Richard E. Grant, the latest from writer-director James Vanderbilt (TIFF ’15’s Truth) chronicles the complicated efforts required to bring to justice those who oversaw many of history’s most heinous crimes.

The year is 1945. Hitler is dead and the Second World War is drawing to a close. Several figures within the Nazi high command have been apprehended by the Allies — among them the eerily charismatic Hermann Göring (Crowe). US Lt. Colonel Douglas Kelley (Malek), an army psychiatrist, is called in to evaluate the Nazi captives. He sees his directive as an opportunity to psychologically define evil, helping to ensure that such atrocities are never repeated while providing him with material for a surefire bestseller.

US Supreme Court justice Robert H. Jackson (Shannon), meanwhile, is charged with the task of forming an international tribunal, believing that even the world’s most notorious criminals deserve a fair trial. The challenge, as Jackson sees it, is to get the seemingly unflappable Göring to reveal his true nature in public. To do that, Jackson and Kelley will need to work together to earn Göring’s trust — and appeal to his narcissism.

Based on Jack El-Hai’s 2013 non-fiction book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, Nuremberg depicts the fascinating events that led to the trial of the century and is enormously elevated by powerhouse performances, especially from Crowe and Malek. The battle may be over, but the psychological war has only just begun.

Content advisory: violence, coarse language, mature themes