In case you missed it when it was released in early November, it’s a great week to catch up with “Nuremberg,” the Russell Crowe-Rami Malek two-hander written and directed by James Vanderbilt, about the international tribunal that put the Nazi high command on trial for war crimes. Based on the book “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist” by Jack El-Hai, the film examines the clinical relationship between Army psychiatrist Dr. Douglas Kelley (Malek) and German Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring (Crowe).

Vanderbilt’s approach is to dive into what made Göring such a fascinating narcissist and how he is able to draw people like Dr. Kelley into his orbit, while balancing their curious dynamic against the unprecedented case built by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson (Michael Shannon). It takes a more psychological approach than a legal one, but nevertheless impresses the importance of holding these kinds of people accountable for their hideous crimes against humanity. That is especially illustrated in the backstory of a young Army translator Howie (Leo Woodall), who is based on a real person as well. Rent or buy “Nuremberg” on all digital platforms.

“Nuremberg” is an example of how movies can be educative, cathartic and even inexplicably comforting at times. It can be painful to watch history repeating itself, day after day, but films like this are also a powerful reminder of the times in history when people have come together to do the right thing, uphold the law (and even set legal precedent), and deliver justice to victims, and more importantly, consequences to those who have committed monstrous acts against other human beings, by intent or merely following orders.

Vanderbilt’s “Nuremberg” takes its place next to Stanley Kramer’s 1961 epic legal drama “Judgment at Nuremberg,” starring Spencer Tracy. This is a fictionalized version of the Judges’ Trial in 1947, one of the 12 Nuremberg military tribunals. Tracy stars as Haywood, the chief judge who seeks to understand how the war crimes of the Holocaust crimes could have happened, especially defendant Ernst Janning (Burt Lancaster), a legal scholar and jurist. At almost three hours, Kramer’s film, written by Abby Mann (who also wrote the book on which it was based) is hefty, but worth it. It earned 11 Oscar nominations and won two. Stream “Judgment at Nuremberg” on Prime Video, Kanopy, Tubi or rent it on other digital platforms.

While the Nuremberg trials put the Nazi high command on trial, there were still many, many Germans in the SS or who worked at concentration camps who were able to return to everyday life. As depicted in the 2014 German film “Labyrinth of Lies,” a young prosecutor named Johann Radmann (Alexander Fehling) decided to make it his mission to prosecute those who worked in service of the Nazi Final Solution even if they were just following orders. Taking place in the late 1950s, the film shows the long arm of justice and the sheer effort it takes to exert that power, especially when most would rather forget the trauma and sweep it under the rug. “Labyrinth of Lies” proves how important legal justice, truth and reconciliation are for a nation’s soul. Rent it on all digital platforms.

There are many, many other films that are both thrilling and illuminating on this topic, from a documentary about Nuremberg prosecutor Ben Ferencz, “Prosecuting Evil,” streaming on Kanopy, Tubi, the Roku Channel and more, to the 2006 docuseries “Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial,” streaming on BritBox. Also on BritBox, a 2000 film about the trials, “Nuremberg” starring Alec Baldwin and Brian Cox.

There’s also the direction of Nazi-hunting films, particularly the hunt for Adolf Eichmann, who was captured in Argentina in 1960 and put on trial in Israel, where he was hanged for his crimes in 1962. The excellent 2015 German thriller “The People vs. Fritz Bauer” follows the hunt for Eichmann by German Jewish prosecutor Fritz Bauer (Johann Radmann’s boss). Stream it on Kanopy or rent it on other digital platforms. It makes for a fascinating character study companion piece to the more straightforward historical political thriller “Operation Finale” (2018), about the Mossad capture of Eichmann in Argentina, starring Oscar Isaac and Ben Kingsley. Stream it on Netflix or rent it on other digital platforms.

It’s always the right time to remember history, and how it ends for some of its most nefarious villains. Sometimes stories about hard-fought justice are necessary and comforting reminders, which is what the art form of cinema can do best.

———

©2026 Tribune Content Agency, LLC