very well done and meticulous re-creation of events

Rating: 9/10 (29 December 2008)

I just came out of watching this movie five minutes ago, and wanted to jot down some quick notes on my immediate impression of the film.
This is an excellent portrayal of the events leading up to an including the attempted assassination of Hitler in the summer of 1944.
For those viewers who are interested in the history of WWII, they will find that this has been a meticulous re-creation of events. Too often, these types of movies--for the sake of "dramatization"--obscure, ignore, or outright distort the historical record. There is very little, if any, of that here.
I suspect the screenwriters closely followed the history of this as depicted by William Shirer in his excellent "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich".
Too often this event has been relegated to a footnote of history. One of the things the movie tries to impress on the viewer is the incredible courage of the conspiracy members. I have read some reviews where the reviewers whine about the "darkness" of the movie. But it must be remembered that the conspirators knew that this was a desperate attempt to save Germany and stop World War II, and that there was only a slight chance of success. It is to the credit of the German Resistance Movement---too often dismissed by historians and even FDR himself--that they realized the evil of Hitler and tried to do something about it.
Cruise is quite good as Stauffenberg, and the British actors do an excellent job depicting the German co-conspirators.
I would urge others to see this movie, and especially young people. The movie has not only a historical lesson to teach, but a lesson in morality and courage in the face of tyranny. It is a lesson still pertinent today.
We also need to show Hollywood that there is a demand for good weighty movies such as this, and not only for the escapist mind-candy that so often appears at your local cinemaplex.