(Six stars out of 5)

This is the most important movie I have ever seen. I’m not going to get into the acting (amazing), the writing (equally amazing) or the length—2 ½ hours, an hour longer than I usually tolerate. Telling this story required every second. My discussion will stick to the content, which everyone should see.

The movie concentrates on Hermann Wilhelm “I know nothing” Göring, a charming and personable guy you’d like to have a beer with, who is a supreme narcissist, completely devoid of empathy for the victims of his actions.

The movie dissects the long-asked question: how are the Germans different from us? The film answers it: they just watched things happen and did nothing.

There is not a line in this movie about international law, as established at the Nuremburg trials, that doesn’t have modern parallels.

As a student of the Second World War and its aftermath, I can tell you this movie truly represents the results of the trial, even if some details are invented to make a good story. Amazingly, the psychiatrist interviewing Göring was not made up.

Will it change the mind of your Uncle who will bloviate at Thanksgiving? Probably not. Will it help you understand what is going on now? Yes.