Review: Valkyrie

'Valkyrie' is a movie that succeeds in every aspect that it possibly can: The only problem is that, being influenced by history, we know that our protagonist is going to fail. The rush of this film is watching our hero rise, and the delusions that overcome him until the final minutes of the film.

Say what you want about Tom Cruise's personal life--he is a gifted actor. In 'Valkyrie,' he plays Colonel Stauffenberg, a man severely wounded fighting for the Nazis, who realizes that one can either fight for the Nazis or Sacred Germany, not both. Being a part of the Nazi regime is the opposite of being patriotic for Germany. Stauffenberg joins up with a group of rebels against Hitler, and they have a plan to turn Hitler's safety net, his Operation Valkyrie (which is a reserve army that responds only in the event of his death), against him by changing their orders to take Berlin. The steps are meticulous and it is in these small details that we see how history could have been changed so drastically if the smallest event did not go through. Or did.

I dislike when people shrug off a film as 'not being historically accurate.' No film based on a real event is perfectly accurate. Even if it portrays the events on screen flawlessly, what the film leaves out still does the truth injustice. The only films that are obligated to convey all the information are documentaries--everything else is for entertainment.

Valkyrie is a first-rate thriller confined to the realm of a failed assassination attempt. There are key players in this scheme against Hitler, but Tom Cruise overshadows them all with his eye patch and seven missing fingers. He commands the film just as he commands the men around him. He is promoted at one point in the film. He must find a replacement, and the first thing he tells his tentative replacement is that the picture of Hitler in his office will be un-hung and the man himself will be hung. Any loyal Nazi would report Stauffenberg immediately. The hesitation, and ultimate loyalty the new recruit has to Stauffenberg shows both the restlessness of the German people against Hitler, as well as the psychological hold one man can have. People see that Stauffenberg has given significant parts of his well-being for Hitler, and they see that he regrets it. It is an inspiration.

The film pairs director Bryan Singer (X-Men, X2, Superman Returns) with his writer Christopher McQuarrie from 'The Usual Suspects,' which was another gripping thriller. These two certainly do know how to tell a compelling story. As I said, we know Hitler lives to fight another day, but the film is to taut that we can taste Stauffenberg's success. And it is much more bitter when he crumbles and ultimately fails.

There are some flaws to the film: the situation with Stauffenberg's family and wife are brushed over quickly. It is stuck in the middle ground, because too much of them would have slowed the pace of the film. A little less may have benefited, because as is, I felt no attachment to them. Then again, the tragedy of Stauffenberg's family is not the heart of the story. It is not about one man's struggle, but about the struggle of a nation split in two.

Rating: 6/7