One is sentenced to be hung (with others in the Nuremberg trial) while the other just gets 20 years. The damned is Hermann Göring (Brian Cox, quite sinister and subtle), and the luckier one is Albert Speer (Herbert Knaup), known as "the good Nazi", a nickname later revealed to be the result of a crafty determination to survive. The testimony of Göring gives Speer the motivation for his creation of "the Speer myth", and the film focuses on conflicts over what Speer's sentence should be. There are of course some falsehoods in the facts, but they are so subtle that the viewer wouldn't know unless they research them, easy to do while watching it in private.
Bombastic megalomaniacs fail and get punishment while regret or admit of guilt at least gives a sign of atonement, even for those who get the death penalty. As attorney Robert H. Jackson, Alec Baldwin begins to debate his credibility in prosecuting, gaining support from loyal assistant Elsie (Jill Hennessy). His subtlety in the role is admirable, playing a character similar to the fictional one played by Claude Rains and Spencer Tracy in the TV and movie versions of Abby Mann's classic "Judgment at Nuremberg". This is a powerful view of recent history, still potent and relevant, a reminder to the world that as one species, human beings are accountable for their evils no matter where they are.
Bombastic megalomaniacs fail and get punishment while regret or admit of guilt at least gives a sign of atonement, even for those who get the death penalty. As attorney Robert H. Jackson, Alec Baldwin begins to debate his credibility in prosecuting, gaining support from loyal assistant Elsie (Jill Hennessy). His subtlety in the role is admirable, playing a character similar to the fictional one played by Claude Rains and Spencer Tracy in the TV and movie versions of Abby Mann's classic "Judgment at Nuremberg". This is a powerful view of recent history, still potent and relevant, a reminder to the world that as one species, human beings are accountable for their evils no matter where they are.
