Nuremberg: James Vanderbilt, Rami Malek, and Michael Shannon Discuss Portraying Göring and the Eternal Danger of Evil

The Guardian interview explores the making of the film Nuremberg, led by writer-director James Vanderbilt and featuring Russell Crowe as Hermann Göring, Rami Malek as US psychiatrist Douglas Kelley, and Michael Shannon as Justice Robert H. Jackson. The piece situates the film within a lineage of real-life crime dramas, noting Kelley’s extensive interviews with Göring and other Nazi officials, and how his unsettling conclusion—that atrocities can occur under any regime—shaped the project. Vanderbilt emphasizes the film’s classical approach, aiming for a traditional courtroom drama rather than a radical departure like Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest. The cast discusses Göring’s charm and humanity as part of what makes him terrifying, and how the movie juxtaposes genuine historical footage from the concentration camps with contemporary storytelling. Malek reflects on confronting ideas about evil, recalling his transformation from viewing Bond villains as inherently evil to acknowledging the banality and persistence of evil across time and politics. Shannon notes the moral weight of presenting real emotions on screen when shown archival footage, and the cast debates the film’s relevance to today’s political climate, including references that echo contemporary slogans, without sensationalizing them. The interview also touches on the broader ethical responsibilities of depicting such subjects in cinema and the potential impact on audiences in a current era of rising fascist discourse. Nuremberg is set for UK release on 14 November and Australia on 4 December.