Main Feature

Valkyrie is blessed with some fine acting, especially from the fantastic supporting cast which includes Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, and Tom Wilkinson. I’m a huge fan of Bryan Singer, mainly for what he did with the incredible The Usual Suspects, but despite Kevin Spacey’s best attempts I didn’t like Superman Returns and I saw this as Singer’s opportunity to get back to what should be a glittering career. Singer deserves a great deal of credit for creating such tension when we know the outcome in advance. Cruise does a good job as Col. Stauffenberg, which isn’t a surprise as he’s normally pretty solid if not always remarkable, but I couldn’t avoid feeling that the Hollywood star was dwarfed (no pun intended) by the theatrical veterans surrounding him.
There is something linked to the film which I feel the need to address. The IMDB site is a useful tool in finding out cast lists and release dates but at the same time the discussion boards can often be filled with groups of morons telling idiots how stupid they are and its ability to magnify ignorance is second only to Youtube. There appears to be widespread anti-Cruise and anti-American sentiments and this is often heightened by counter-ignorance which only adds fuel to the small minded remarks.

The use of the English language in the film as opposed to the historically accurate German is apparently enough to kick-start World War Three. There is a suggestion that the film should either be in German which would require replacing the actors or having them learn the German language or that the actors should put on a German accent while speaking English. The choice of English somehow leads to accusations that Americans are ignorant and want to dismiss historical accuracy by forcing through their own language. More worrying is the ignorant counter-argument which wrongly suggests that the film has an American cast when in fact the vast majority are British with some Dutch and German.

There is a suggestion that the film can’t possibly be intense since it’s heavily based on historical events and we already know how the story ends. I will now shoot down this theory as this is one of the most exciting films I have seen in a long time so much so that at several points I was overwhelmed by what was happening on screen and found myself thinking that they might somehow manage to pull it off.

Extras

There are not one but two commentaries included on this disc, the first features Tom Cruise, Bryan Singer, and writer Christopher McQuarrie and the second features McQuarrie once again but this time joined by his co-writer Nathan Alexander.

“The Journey to Valkyrie” is an interesting documentary which covers the amount of effort Singer and his crew went to in order to make the film as authentic as possible. “The Road to Resistance: A Visual Guide” is another short documentary presented by Col. Stauffenberg’s grandson who takes us on a tour of places in Berlin which were of great importance to his grandfather.

“The African Front Sequence” describes how they planned for that early scene including the choice of more realistic explosions. “Taking to the Air” explains the benefits of using genuine war-planes as opposed to taking the more usual CG route.

“92^nd Street Y” is a substantial question and answer session with the Director, Bryan Singer, and star of the film, Tom Cruise and offers an insight into why they were drawn to this story.

Given the historical context of the film I fully expected some sort of meaty extra but I was blown away by “The Valkyrie Legacy” which is a truly epic documentary with a running time just short of two hours. This is packed with interviews, photographs, and film footage depicting the rise and fall of Nazi Germany and this would be an interesting feature film in its own right.

Summary

On one hand there is a solid performance from Cruise, an even better performance from the gifted supporting cast, Singer is back to his best, and the level of tension is fantastic. On the other hand you have a selection of interesting extras headlined by a heavyweight documentary. When you combine the two you end up with a wonderful Blu-ray disc packed with excitement and historical information.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

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 20^th Plot.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Check out Redpatriot’s review of Valkyrie here.

]]> http://www.atomicpopcorn.net/michaels-valkyrie-movie-review/feed/ 2 http://www.atomicpopcorn.net/redpatriots-valkyrie-movie-review/ http://www.atomicpopcorn.net/redpatriots-valkyrie-movie-review/#comments Thu, 25 Dec 2008 10:31:21 +0000 Jon http://www.atomicpopcorn.net/?p=1872

Ever watch The History Channel? It’s got the H logo in the corner – for history! Every time I go to that channel, it seems to be about Hitler. So often, in fact, that I just call it The Hitler Channel. I mean, how many documentaries can there be about one guy? At least that channel (and history class) has drilled it into my head that he was a pretty evil guy.

Valkyrie assumes we’ve all watched The Hitler Channel, er, The History Channel. That’s probably an easy assumption to make, but in the universe of a single film, it’s a lazy assumption. Within Nazi Germany, there’s a growing unrest among the higher-ups who want to end the war. This sentiment comes from a loss of faith in Hitler, the desire to avoid the invasion of their homeland by the Allies, fears of the negative perception of Germany by the rest of the world, and so on. Or so I assume. One of these is our main character, Tom Cruise’s Colonel von Stauffenberg. He hates Hitler because, um, he’s… a bad guy? Stauffenberg says several times that Germany has to be saved from Hitler, but isn’t very clear in his explanations. Early in the film, we’re shown how Stauffenberg becomes disfigured after an attack by the Allies. At one point, he even shuffles his family into the basement during the bombing of Berlin. And, of course, he’s risking his own neck taking on Hitler. But why? Why are we, the viewer, left to assume so much of what drives Stauffenberg to risk the lives of his family and his fellow men?

Valkyrie is an extremely crisp looking film. The filmmakers made sure to show step-by-step how Stauffenberg’s circle put their plan into motion, and detailed all the speed bumps along the way. But it’s damaged by its lack of motivation. Richard Fleischer’s 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora! shows how government blunders led to the successful surprise attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor. The problem with that film was that it was nothing but a dry re-hashing of a history book. It was so, well, matter-of-fact that it failed as a movie. A well-made movie has character development and plot movement that gets you emotionally invested in the intensity of its characters and events. Tora! did not. The explosions at the end were neat, and everyone in uniforms sure looked like they were in the military, but so what? Valkyrie falls into the same trap. It presents facts, and shows people doing things, but why do I care? How is it drawing me into the emotion? I found no reason to feel tense when Stauffenberg put his assassination plot into motion. Of course, Hitler’s the bad guy and needs to get beat up or killed or jailed or whatever, but I know that happens already. Make me think that Stauffenberg can’t pull it off, or get away, or find the golden ticket or something.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Valkyrie was definitely a very good-looking film. I’m not usually a fan of Tom Cruise, but I felt like he pulled off the bitter soldier quite well. All the pieces were in place for this film to succeed; I place the blame for coming up short on direction. Bryan Singer has done quite well with emotion in the past (see Apt Pupil for proof), but just didn’t give me that here. It was a treat to watch, but I just don’t feel like I gained anything lasting by watching it. If you’re a fan of war films, I’d definitely recommend Valkyrie, but otherwise… I just don’t know. Other people in the theater felt strongly about the movie, and I heard someone say, “It was pretty intense!”. But I think it’s fair to demand that movies make you empathize, and have a reason to care about the hero. If you wanted facts and nothing but, then there are numerous books (and documentaries on The History Channel!) about plots to kill Hitler. But for a film, the viewer needs a little more.

Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

Check out Michael’s review of Valkyrie here.