Valkyrie
Image taken from wikipedia.org
You rarely get a chance to breathe in this film. We kick off in the desert where the German army is retreating from the advancing Allied onslaught. Within seconds, the surround sound kicks in. Two British war planes fly by and destroy the German convoy, blowing Tom Cruise half to hell. What a punishment for Scientology?! This is Valkyrie. It is the story of Colonel Stauffenberg, a hardened Veteran who believes that Hitler is slowly tearing Germany apart from the inside. He sets a plan in motion to kill Hitler and make a peace treaty with the allies that will bring the Second World War to an end once and for all.
The film is directed by X-Men director Bryan Singer. Singer’s approach to this movie is one of true authenticity. Rarely do we see films in Hollywood that go into such detail with the sets. Every scene feels like it was pulled out of a High School textbook. As for the acting, that where the film gets a bit sketchy. While the characters are all believable, a few of the actors seem a little too eager to make the movie an intense experience. For instance, in a scene between Colonel Stauffenberg and a German General, Tom cruise starts preaching the same lines we have heard him saying for the past half hour and he gets this intense look on his face that almost made me laugh. Nice try, Tom.
Overall, this is a gripping thriller of a film that should appeal to anyone interested in history or to anyone who just wants to see a good story.
