HISTORICAL or PERIOD DRAMA. “Nuremberg.” / “This Bloody Country.” / “Lapwing.” / “The Claim.”

“Nuremberg” (2025, Netflix) psychological thriller historical drama. The film follows the U.S. Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley seeking to carry out an assignment to investigate the personalities and monitor the mental status of Hermann Göring and other high-ranking Nazis in preparation for and during the Nuremberg trials. 


The movie's source material is the 2013 book “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist” by Jack El-Hai, which follows U.S. Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (played by Rami Malek) seeking to carry out an assignment to investigate the personalities and monitor the mental status of Hermann Göring, and other high-ranking Nazis in preparation for and during the Nuremberg trials.

       This movie isn't epic in physical proportion but it is elegantly crafted, anchored on a tight screenplay, measured editing, and a fine performance from Russell Crowe as Hermann Goring. Mr Crowe's essay of Adolf Hitler's #2 aide is a piercing study of calculated restraint and nuanced guilt. 

       More than anything, James Vanderbilt's direction is not pretentiously arty or bombastically theatrical. Simply, another way to present the horrors of the Nazi regime, backstopped by real footage of the dead. Numbing, indeed. 🎥💻📽


“This Bloody Country” (2025, Amazon Prime) drama-western about a Mormon family in 1869 traveling to establish a new church outpost, forced to fight back against outlaws in remote Utah territory. 



       This movie was shot in 18 days out of a Kickstarter-raised budget of over $20,000. Not too bad, actually. The slim storyline that tackled religiosity, patriarchy and survival still managed to attract attention. The relatively unknown performers did well, in fact. 🎥💻📽


“Lapwing” (2021, Amazon Prime) British historical drama. Set in 16th-century England, the film focuses on a remote, insular community of salt farmers who interact with a Romani family, leading to tension and a forbidden romance. 



       The film is described as stark, intense, and atmospheric, often noted for its lack of dialogue and focus on visual storytelling. I concur. Add the wicked intensity of Emmett J. Scanlan's David and the hapless dead-end that Hannah Douglas’ Patience faces. Both remarkable performances. 🎥💻📽


“The Claim” (2000, Pluto TV) Western romance film directed by Michael Winterbottom. Based on Thomas Hardy’s “The Mayor of Casterbridge,” the plot hinges on a wealthy man’s past sin: 20 years earlier, he sold his wife and newborn daughter for a gold claim. 



       Not so easy to forget Mr Winterbottom, that is if you've seen 2004's explicit, mainstream porn “9 Songs,” although 2007's “A Mighty Heart,” starring Angelina Jolie, wasn't so bad. 

       And “The Claim” isn't so bad either. Evocative winter photography and stellar ensemble performances by usually engaging Peter Mullan, Milla Jovovich, Wes Bentley, Nastassja Kinski, and Sarah Polley. 

       And no “9 Songs” kind of unsimulated sex. Good, I guess. 🎥💻📽

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