Judgment at Nuremberg

Judgment at Nuremberg is currently streaming in Australia on Amazon Prime Video, and in the US on Amazon Prime Video and Fawesome, and it rewards the patience it asks of you. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. An 8/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Spencer Tracy's performance alone is worth the time investment. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Amazon Prime Video.

There is a reason Judgment at Nuremberg keeps coming up in conversation. Judgment at Nuremberg trusts its audience to sit with discomfort instead of resolving it too quickly. In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe, but also from the widow of a Nazi general, an idealistic U.S. Army captain and reluctant witness Irene Wallner. Spencer Tracy and Richard Widmark lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1961. Judgment at Nuremberg resists tidy resolutions in a way that respects how messy real consequences actually are. The consistency throughout is what elevates it — not every moment is the best, but none of them are a reason to stop watching.

For anyone looking for storytelling that takes its characters seriously, Judgment at Nuremberg delivers. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Spencer Tracy carries the material with a performance that rewards close attention. Worth starting sooner rather than later.