Russell Crowe did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Hermann Göring in Nuremberg.
Russell Crowe depicts the highest ranking Nazi still living Hermann Göring who goes about purposefully surrendering to the US allies. The piece is very much structured as Göring as the representative of the Nazi ideology to be examined and potentially taken down by crusading allied lawyers but more importantly as the scene partner for tête-à-tête of psychiatrist and evil patient in a not entirely unlike Hannibal Lecter kind of way. Although Crowe’s performance is not one that actually emphasizes the evil of the character and is far more interesting in his choices in very much presenting Göring as someone who intends to present himself as a respectable leader simply trying to run and protect his country as he sees fit. A performance that emphasizes the presence of the character, which Russell Crowe has a tremendous presence innately as a performer that isn’t the hardest for him to achieve. As we have from the first scenes between Crowe and Malek, who sadly is not up to snuff in any way shape or form and is overshadowed completely constantly here, Crowe’s performance does elevate the material consistently and makes scenes shine. As Crowe plays this almost jovial quality that doesn’t denote Göring as nice in anyway rather presenting someone who reacts to his confinement as some kind of bemusement to himself more than anything and treats the allies he sees around him including Kelley, as curiosities to him, particularly early on as he pretends not to speak English and Crowe’s whole performance is watching with a calculating and also somewhat degrading stare.
When Göring reveals his English speaking to Kelley, Crowe’s work often is of this specific state of pretending to be far less than he is and is quite compelling in playing the elements of the character. As Crowe’s delivery of Göring’s claims of being unaware of the final solution, there’s a clever combination Crowe manages to pull of in his eyes and delivery where he manages to earnestly state the claim though with his eyes there’s always a sense of calculation waiting for people to believe his claims with the cunning of a politician and power player behind every false word. Crowe excels in creating the specific narcissism where even in the moments where it seems like he is sharing a mutual interest, like magic, or a mutual endeavor of exposing Rudolf Hess as a fraud, Crowe presents a specific quality that is less of real affection and more of an allowance for personal entertainment. Crowe never portraying direct and genuine warmth between himself and his new confidant, rather presenting a paternalistic quality of someone being amused by for him is essentially is a new underling. Crowe doesn’t soften Göring rather presents a man who believes himself to be in control of this specific situation by essentially pretending to be far less than he in terms of maliciousness but at the same time very much brandishing his intellectual skill at attempting to slip through the hangman’s noose through this particular form of subterfuge.
Crowe only fully lets in on the character in a moment where he describes a relationship with a Jewish uncle who had invited his family into their home when he was young. Crowe first tells the story as though it is a bit of nostalgic remembrance before getting to the strange specifics that his mother was given the room near the uncle meanwhile his father was given a room with the servants in order for the uncle to have sex with his mother. Crowe’s minor yet pivotal switch in delivery stating that just because man may help does not mean they are your friend, has an incisive delivery. A delivery that speaks to a merciless man of war, and also alluding to a man with the real capability of the extreme antisemitism and atrocities his regime was responsible for. An idea only expanded upon when footage of the concentration camps incenses Kelley to directly confront Göring over his guilt and Crowe lifts the curtain on the man. Presenting just a cold resilience to criticism where anything he parries, Crowe with a confidence in his eyes and defiance in his voice always turns it around back at him with dishonest precedence. Leading to his cross-examine first by American lawyer Robert Jackson (Michael Shannon), who fumbles against Göring’s ability of obfuscation based on minor details. Crowe’s delivery of this scene, along with his physical approach where he almost sits as though he’s at a sofa, emphasizing the dismissive and controlling tone as man getting away with his crimes essentially by the small print. Only when British lawyer Sir David Maxwell Fyfe takes on the cross examination by essentially setting up that Göring would have to be a fool to not be aware and to get him to denounce Hitler do we see Göring fall. Crowe excels in this moment as well by bringing the fragility of the ego where we see the man unable to hide as he’d be a criminal one way or an idiot other, and accepting the former as the lesser of two evils to his deranged view. Crowe’s performance isn’t a big breakdown rather this quiet resignation of a man seeing that there’s no trick for him left other than in his death. Although this is hardly a great film, Crowe makes the most of what he has, even though a better script and a better co-star, this could’ve been a truly unforgettable turn, as is it is a very good one from a great actor.
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