If you pay close enough attention, you’ll notice that nearly every other movie released these days seems to be based on a true story. And after a while you have to wonder if Hollywood will ever run out of true stories to turn into movies. Until then we’ll have to make do with what we get.
The latest true story to be turned into a film, Valkyrie, is one of the more compelling; it is very well-acted and directed, though it falls just short of being first-rate. Bryan Singer, the creative talent behind the first two X-Men films and some low-key movies such as The Usual Suspects, directs this period thriller about a plot to assassinate Hitler, and he knows how to keep the suspense and tension high. Because in the case of movies like Valkyrie, it’s not about where the story is going, but about how it gets to its ending. Anyone who has covered this time period in any sort of history class should know the outcome of this story, so the trick is to keep the audience invested in the build-up to the climax, and Singer pulls it off pretty well.
Valkyrie takes place at the height of WWII and follows Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise), a German officer who’s also an outspoken advocate of the Germany that existed before Hitler took power. After a surprise attack on his base of operations in South Africa, Stauffenberg loses one eye, his right hand and three of his the fingers on his left. After recovering, he is approached by General Friedrich Olbricht (Bill Nighy), a man of power who’s part of a clandestine collection of German officers who have been trying for the longest time to kill Adolf Hitler without success. After one particular attempt implicates a few key members, Olbricht tells Stauffenberg about the group’s need to reorganize with people they can be sure will be able to successfully pull off the job. Stauffenberg has reached the limit of his patience with the way the German government is being run and agrees to join the conspiracy. The operation is codenamed “Valkyrie”, for the emergency plan that was meant to be used in case of a revolt against the Nazi government. This initiative is rewritten by Stauffenberg so that it would allow them to seize control over the course of three hours once Hitler was killed. But for various reasons, the plot failed after being implemented on July 20, 1944.
Alright, let me start with Tom Cruise. While I don’t agree with everything he does in his personal life, I still think he’s a very good actor. He gives one of his best performances in years as Stauffenberg; he’s good at that really distinct air of self-confidence mixed with mystique. His character is one who is able to command attention and respect whenever he engages in conversation with another individual, and with an almost natural elegance. The rest of the cast is also strong, a “who’s who” of great British actors. There’s Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp, Tom Wilkinson and Tom Hollander, all in supporting roles that truly highlight each of their strengths. Each person is given ample amount of screen time both to show off their acting chops and to create good characters. I guess Valkyrie just goes to show that you can never go wrong with such a strong supporting cast of British actors. That is, if the movie’s good – and this one is.
Bryan Singer certainly knows how to create an effective atmosphere in all of his movies, and here he’s created a true thriller-like atmosphere. There’s little next to no music in the more tension-filled sequences, such as when Stauffenberg is in the process of planting a bomb in the bunker where Hitler is hiding out, and it makes for some really interesting stuff. And the last half hour or so, which shows the characters putting Operation Valkyrie into action, is very well-put together and makes you feel as if you’re actually watching these events as they unfolded. If the film has any shortcomings, it’s that after the film establishes what the story will be and who the main characters are, the pace seems to slow down a lot. It’s strange, because usually the build-up to the “Big Moment” is very exciting and steadily paced in films like these, but here it feels as if the writers kind of lost interest in this portion of the script and didn’t really put as much effort into it as they did the rest. However, the film picks back up very well once Valkyrie is initiated and we quickly get back to all the good stuff.
While Valkyrie may not be perfect, it’s still a very solid period thriller rich in strong performances and real tension. Some people may grow a bit restless during the middle portion, but they will be rewarded with a very gripping third act. I probably wouldn’t go so far as to label this a potential Oscar contender, but Valkyrie is nonetheless a pretty fascinating film for anyone unfamiliar with what became known as the July 20th Plot.
