Nuremberg Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Nuremberg Blu-ray Movie Review

"This war ends in a courtroom."

Reviewed by Randy Miller III February 16, 2026

The second of two films I've reviewed this week that desperately need a real-world sequel, writer-director James Vanderbilt's Nuremberg did decent business at the box office but wasn't the more widespread hit it could have been. Working from Jack El-Hai's 2013 novel The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, Vanderbilt focuses Nuremberg's story on the tail end of WWII: roughly a week after Adolf Hitler committed suicide and his proud second-in-command, Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe), is captured by American soldiers in Austria. Since an international tribunal would ultimately be more effective than simple execution, Göring and 21 other Nazi leaders are held as prisoners in Luxembourg while the details are arranged by Supreme Court Associate Justice Robert Jackson (Michael Shannon) and others. Their main concern? That the remaining Nazi leaders, much like Hitler, will commit suicide before the trial takes place.

Enter Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek), a hotshot U.S. Army psychiatrist who is tasked with interviewing the Nazis and evaluating their risk of suicide. He plans to write a book with his findings and, as slightly narcissistic as that sounds, it's nowhere near the level of Göring's ego: a self-centered but intelligent man who plays dumb regarding the construction and operation of concentration camps, Göring turns on the charm and manages to win over Kelley to a certain degree during several meetings in his cell. All the while, Göring insists he'll beat the presumed death penalty, which naturally spurs Kelley's desire to steer him towards a confession during the pending trial. Other surviving Nazis such as German Labour Front head Robert Ley (Tom Keune) and chief propagandist Julius Streicher (Dieter Riesle) are more direct in their aggression; theirs will be an open-and-shut case, but one with an even greater risk of suicide.

The bulk of Nuremberg's first half concerns Kelley and Göring's back-and-forth interactions, as well as the doctor's fragile reputation with his superiors after he crosses several professional lines during the interviews. Yet several other detours are also explored along the way: that of Associate Justice Robert Jackson (who, along with the outsider Kelley, respectively deliver and receive exposition), interpreter Howard Triest (Leo Woodall), by-the-book psychologist Gustave Gilbert (Colin Hanks), and more, with everything naturally building towards a trial during the film's second half. Things take a drastic and dreadful turn when footage of the concentration camps is played during the trial, a series of deeply unsetting moments that earn Nuremberg every bit of its PG-13 rating and then some.

Like many historical dramas, I wanted to like Nuremberg because it sends an important message despite a few glaring flaws. These include a scattershot pace, too many unexplored detours and characters, a few overtly on-the-nose lines meant to mirror today's political landscape, Crowe's questionable German accent, and other potential missteps, all of which the film mostly overcomes before the credits roll but can't be completely ignored. The story is nothing new, most famously told in Stanley Kramer's Judgment at Nuremberg as well as several other productions including a few TV mini-series, which I think might have been a better format for this material. Nuremberg ultimately feels both too long and too short, which likely would have been solved by converting it into free-format episodes rather than a single overlong 148-minute film. Even so, it's certainly nowhere near a misfire and even flirts with greatness during a few standout scenes, and it's these moments that make Nuremberg worth at least one watch and maybe more.

Coincidentally, Nuremberg also has at least two things in common with another recent Sony home video title: Richard Linklater's Blue Moon, which also underperformed at the box office (even more so, which is a shame since it's a better film) and sadly didn't earn a domestic UHD edition despite its 4K roots. Nonetheless, this Blu-ray is a solid movie-only disc that should appeal to fans and may even build its following to warrant a reevaluation down the road.

Nuremberg Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Delivered to theaters with a true 4K digital intermediate, Nuremburg arrives on Blu-ray with a downscaled but still very capable 1080p/SDR transfer that supports its dark and mostly desaturated visuals well enough. Most everything carries that WWII-era "olive green" palette with an abundance of Earth tones that include lots of muddy browns, warmer hues, and occasional day-for-night scenes with an almost distractingly blue filter just for visual contrast. Although not always naturally lit, the cinematography by DP Dariusz Wolski doesn't continuously depend on traditional artificial sources and is sometimes primarily supported by sunlight streaming in windows, "magic hour" moments, and even the projection of concentration camp footage in the courtroom. Shadows are nicely handled and only trace amounts of banding could be spotted on a few occasions, as much of Nuremburg runs at a high and supportive bit rate on this essentially movie-only 50GB disc. That said, I'd have loved to see a UHD option: several exist in other territories (either already released or coming later this year), and one of them might be worth a closer look in the near future.

Nuremberg Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Much like the aforementioned Blue Moon, Nuremberg is listed as having a native Dolby Atmos track on IMDb, which isn't always a reliable source of info and no Atmos logo appears in the film's end credits. Either way, this DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track certainly gets the job done, standing tall with a robust and sonically direct presentation that carries a solid amount of power at key moments. There's obviously more to Nuremburg than a courtroom scene, with various environments creating ample amounts of echo and width based on large or even cavernous interiors, while closed-in dialogue exchanges are naturally more intimate and centered. Spare scenes of action and emotional suspense carry more weight without dramatically overpowering everything else, and of course there's plenty of room left for the original score by Brian Tyler, which is a mixed bag in my opinion but supportive when and where it counts.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are offered during the main feature only.

Nuremberg Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork and minimal extras.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:12) - This promotional piece can also be seen here.

Nuremberg Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

James Vanderbilt's Nuremberg means well and seems to have arrived at the right time, but a few fundamental flaws keep it from being anywhere close to a truly definitive statement. That said, it at least flirts with greatness during a few standout scenes and much of the cast seems well-fit for the material, so anyone interested in the subject matter should at least give it a watch and judge for themselves. Sony's home video treatment sadly doesn't include a UHD option, but this Blu-ray at least has solid A/V merits because you won't get any real extras with it. Combined with the high price tag, it's not a strongly recommended blind buy so newcomers will probably want to wait for a price drop.