reserved competent work

Rating: 7/10 (8 September 2015)

Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) is disillusioned with Hitler and the war. He abhors the atrocities committed by the SS. He is severely injured in North Africa. Major-General Henning von Tresckow (Kenneth Branagh) is the military leader of a coup but his attempt to kill Hitler fails. General Friedrich Olbricht (Bill Nighy) recruits von Stauffenberg who comes up with a plan to use Operation Valkyrie which is set up to maintain order after the death of Hitler. They need the head of the reserve army General Friedrich Fromm (Tom Wilkinson) to order Valkyrie while they try to rewrite the operational manual so that the SS won't interfere with the coup.
Director Bryan Singer brings a solid workmanship to the production. Tom Cruise's reserved acting lacks a certain excitement. The story is told competently. It could easily be lost in the labyrinth of characters but the awesome cast is able to give each character his due. I'm also glad Singer didn't try to have the cast do fake German accents. The movie does lack the thrills but it still has a low-burning intensity.