Running time: 120 minutes
Rating 6 out of 10
Buying into the idea of Tom Cruise as a Nazi might have been easier had he spoken German, but when he utters every line in his distinctive clipped American accent, suspending disbelief becomes all but impossible. That the main cast, with the exception of Cruise, is primarily comprised of A-list British actors all speaking in their native tongue is only slightly less distracting. One of the problems with Cruise is that, as a fully-fledged movie star, he has a tendency to overshadow the characters he plays. It is perhaps unfair to make such an issue of accents when Hollywood movies very rarely use sub-titles, but in the case of Valkyrie, a film based on true events, its authenticity is compromised. Another obstacle the film has to overcome is the fact that, being based on an attempt to assassinate Hitler, its outcome is never in doubt.
Cruise plays Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, a disillusioned Nazi officer opposed to Hitler's genocidal policy and pursuit of global supremacy. Determined to prevent the needless loss of millions more lives on both sides, von Stauffenberg joins forces with General Friedrich Olbricht (Bill Nighy) and Major-General Henning von Tresckow (Kenneth Branagh) and a group of powerful Nazis intent on assassinating Hitler (David Bamber), assuming control and organising a truce with the allies.
Directed by Bryan Singer, Valkyrie is a tightly-wound drama formulated around a clinical script by Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander. Densely plotted, it focuses predominantly on events leading up to the assassination attempt. The intricacies of the murder plot are of less interest than the personalities of the courageous men involved in its execution, something the film devotes less time to. Given the library of films presenting Nazis in a unified and unflattering light, Valkyrie's depiction of a faction of high-ranking anti-Hitler Nazis offers a refreshing angle. From an historical point of view Valkyrie is fascinating, even though any film prefaced with "based on true events" is open to speculation about exactly what is and isn't true.
Cruise does his best to lose himself in the role of von Stauffenberg, whose missing eye and hand are stark evidence of the price he has paid for Hitler's megalomania. The supporting cast, which includes commendable performances from Nighy, Branagh, Tom Wilkinson and an unlikely one by Eddie Izzard as General Erich Fellgiebel, a close aid to Hitler.
Though much of Valkyrie is obviously geared towards maximizing its commercial potential, tragically history insured that there is no Hollywood ending and so ultimately the films floats nebulously and unsatisfyingly between fact and fiction.
Kevin Murphy
