A masterpiece; one of the most important movies ever made.

Rating: Null/10 (12 February 2019)

From a modern perspective, Stanley Kramer's "Judgment at Nuremberg" may appear rather dated, and especially considering its long runtime, its black-and-white cinematography and the difficult subject, it can easily appear daunting to submit oneself to the experience of watching the entire film. Let me tell you something: if you're still hesitating about the question of whether or not to watch "Judgment at Nuremberg", then you should just stop doing so and get three hours of free time during which you can focus and concentrate on an important subject which may be hard to indulge, but is absolutely worth the time spent. Stanley Kramer creates a huge courtroom epic with ambivalent, vibrant personalities and complex plotlines. In spite of its immense runtime, the film never fails to be captivating, partly thanks to the sharp, focused script, but mainly also thanks to the outstanding performances.
It's rare to watch a film with so much star-power, and so many powerhouse performances, but "Judgment at Nuremberg" actually assembled a cast consisting of Spencer Tracy, Maximilian Schell, Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland and Richard Widmark among others and didn't waste any of their talents: all of them gave some of the best performances of their respective careers. Montgomery Clift's performance is a pure scene-stealer even though it only takes a few minutes before he leaves the stage again, but it's one of the most impressive acting accomplishments of the entire film. Spencer Tracy gives a restrained, thoughtful and enrapturing performance and slips into the role of the leading character seemingly effortlessly, while Maximilian Schell, who deservedly won the Oscar for Best Acting, delivers quite a number of fascinating monologues which never seize to captivate your attention.
Even if the subject wasn't as important today as it was in 1961, the film would still be worth watching for the acting alone. However, since the Holocaust is something which should never, absolutely never be forgotten by anyone, that makes "Judgment at Nuremberg" all the more important to watch.