‘Nuremberg’ probes the disturbing normality of those behind atrocities, challenging our notions of evil and spotlighting the dangerous universality of the lust for power—even in modern society.
The Surface-Level Event: A New Historic Drama Debuts
The upcoming film ‘Nuremberg’ dramatizes one of the most compelling but often overlooked episodes in postwar history: the psychological battle of wills between U.S. Army psychiatrist Dr. Douglas M. Kelley and Nazi mastermind Hermann Göring during the landmark Nuremberg trials. Starring Rami Malek as Kelley and Russell Crowe as Göring, and directed by James Vanderbilt, the movie draws on Jack El-Hai’s exhaustively researched book, “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist”.
While the surface story follows Kelley’s attempts to determine the mental state of Nazi defendants, the film is ultimately about a deeper—and more disturbing—truth: the terrifying ordinariness of evil, and the uncomfortable reflection this holds up to us all.
Deeper Analytical Angle: Grappling with the Banality of Evil
Kelley went to Nuremberg prepared to analyze monsters. What he found was far more unsettling: aside from one or two clear cases of mental illness, most of the Nazi defendants displayed no diagnosable psychiatric disorders. For Kelley, this was not a relief, but a horror. It meant that monstrous acts—genocide, world war—were carried out not by inhuman lunatics, but by people all too familiar.
According to El-Hai, Kelley’s research revealed that these men were, above all, motivated by the pursuit of power and social ascendance, not ideology or irrational rage (Associated Press). In Kelley’s own words: “People like that are in our population in far greater numbers than any of us would want to believe.”
Why This Film Is Especially Vital Today
The lessons of Nuremberg go far beyond the history books. Kelley’s postwar work at UC Berkeley and with California police led him to warn that the same will to power—disguised as loyalty, ambition, or patriotism—was alive in American society. He observed, chillingly, that “in the U.S. there are people who, to gain power, would willingly climb over the corpses of half of the American public” (The New York Times).
The notion that atrocities can grow from ordinary ambitions and social pressures—the “banality of evil,” as philosopher Hannah Arendt would later call it—remains relevant at a time when authoritarian impulses, conspiratorial movements, and the charismatic packaging of violence are again visible worldwide.
Kelley and Göring: A Fatal Mirror
Strikingly, Kelley and Göring were “more similar than not,” notes El-Hai. Both men were brilliant, charming, even egoistic—each locked in a contest not just of intellects, but of identities. The film posits the idea that evil is not an external invader, but can thrive in the space between ambition and unchecked ego.
- No Remorse: Kelley found little evidence of guilt among the defendants. Most maintained pride in their actions, believing history would vindicate them.
- Self-Made Martyrs: Göring saw his suicide not as shame, but a final assertion of control—a “thumb in the eye” to those who would judge him as a common criminal.
- Charisma as Danger: “On a one-to-one level,” says El-Hai, even “monsters” can be personally accessible, likable, or clever. This challenges our faith in being able to simply “spot” evil by abnormality alone.
What Audiences Should Take Away
By dramatizing Kelley’s haunting postwar warning—that fascism is always waiting for an opportunity to return—‘Nuremberg’ does not let viewers distance themselves from history. It invites us to interrogate not only the psychology of those on trial at Nuremberg, but also the forces at work in our own communities and ourselves.
As El-Hai reflects, “Nazism, fascism, or whatever you want to call it, has always had the potential for coming alive in our country. He [Kelley] saw it immediately when he came back from Europe, and it’s certainly easier to find now.” (Associated Press)
The Enduring Power of Facing Evil—With Unflinching Honesty
The true value of ‘Nuremberg’ lies not in its courtroom scenes or Hollywood cast, but in its invitation to confront the most uncomfortable question of all: What if evil looks like us, operates according to the same ambitions, and obeys the same psychological laws? When society confuses charisma, authority, or success with virtue, we inch closer to repeating history’s darkest hours.
By reviving Dr. Kelley’s story, ‘Nuremberg’ compels us to recognize that the battle against evil is not only fought in history or in courts—it is fought, unglamorously, in self-awareness and the vigilance of ordinary people.
For further exploration of these themes and their contemporary relevance, see The New York Times coverage of the film’s psychological impact and the original reporting by Associated Press.
