Brave attempt

Rating: 6/10 (5 February 2009)

No spoiler required - Hitler doesn't get killed! A thriller attempt to tell the July 20 plot that succeeds in engaging one, but misses a trick when it does not portray clearly enough the all-pervading menace and danger of trying to overthrow Nazism. It's as if the script assumes that everyone remembers from their school History syllabuses the Nazis and their bad press! Character development is a little short - again it is assumed that everyone in the audience is against Hitler so no need for subtlety or variation of motive of his adversaries. Tom Cruise does a noble job of not dominating the action, while Bill Nighy acts in this as opposed to being just himself. But the endless parade of English thesps - I don't include Eddie Izzard as one! - detracts for a British audience the germanic nature of the story. I'm afraid David Bamber's Hitler(OK as a performance) is a direct crib from 'Downfall,' so why didn't Bruno Ganz do it! Kenneth Cranham as Keitel is awful, but the film does not overegg the pudding, and largely succeeds in portraying a difficult moment in time as the Nazi regime crumbles, but too many Germans watch and wait for the Allies to finish off the monster.