The Toronto International Film Festival is currently taking place, and the usual plethora of Oscar-bait films are making their debut public screenings.
Among them is the new World War 2 epic Nuremberg, with Russell Crowe starring as captured Nazi Hermann Göring facing the death penalty for crimes against humanity.
Based on the book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist by Jack El-Hai, the new film focuses on American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley, played by Rami Malek.
It was his job to determine whether the prisoners were fit to stand trial. During his interviews with Göring, he found himself in a “battle of wits” with Hitler’s right-hand man.
The first reviews are for Nuremberg and despite an early 45 per cent Rotten Tomatoes score, the critics are split.
The Hollywood Reporter
Backed by a roster of powerhouse performances led by Russell Crowe, Rami Malek and Michael Shannon, the commanding production looks like it could be an award-season contender.
The Wrap
Nuremberg benefits not only from a terrifying performance from Crowe in a larger-than-life role like those that defined the early part of his career, but also from the ensemble of actors that makes it possible to doubt and also sympathize with the crimes.
Variety
Really, what [Rami Malek’s chief psychiatrist Douglas] Kelley seeks to explore — and what the audience wants him to explore — is the nature of evil, which is to say Göring’s relationship to his own crimes. And on that score, neither he nor the movie get very far.
Deadline
Dominating the film are the stunning performances of Crowe, truly immersing himself in one of his best, if most difficult, roles as the duplicitous Goring, and Malek, whose Kelley is the unsung hero of it all.
Screen International
The characters may contain degrees of shading, but they rarely come to life, leaving Nuremberg feeling like a professional but dusty reenactment.
IndieWire
It’s delivered in the most plain-faced way possible. There is no cat-and-mouse here. There are few surprises.
The Playlist
There are just two moments in James Vanderbilt’s “Nuremberg” that feel genuine. Just two. In a film depicting the trial of Nazi war criminals by the first International Military Tribunal in history, that’s not ideal. Frankly, it might be worrisome.
The Film Stage
It seems to want you leaving the theater on an unsettled note, but you’re probably just going to be regaling your friends with Michael Shannon telling off the Pope about antisemitism with an Aaron Sorkin-esque zinger.
Nuremberg releases in UK cinemas on November 14, 2025 and will premiere on Sky Cinema in January 2026.
