Above average wartime thriller

Rating: 7/10 (15 September 2009)

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
In 1944, Col. Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise), Maj. Tresckow (Kenneth Brannagh) and generals Olbricht (Bill Nighy) and Fromm (Tom Wilkinson) plotted to kill Hitler and overthrow his SS army by initiating his 'valkyrie' defence league and get them all to wipe each other out. Needless to say, things don't run entirely to plan.
Big name star Cruise is here sharing a platform with a host of British thespians including Branagh, Nighy, Wilkinson, Terence Stamp and Eddie Izzard, all curiously keeping their English accents despite playing soldiers in the German High Command. The human angle of the story seems to be trying to show how some members of the Nazi Party, even those high up in the chain of command, found some of Hitler's acts unacceptable and wanted to show the world they weren't all compassionless freaks. That's just a sideline, though, and the main angle is the thriller aspect, and this is executed with enough tension, suspense, style and flair to keep things running nicely. No one's delivering the performances of their career, but the all star cast list are a lively sort and keep things flowing along nicely enough.
Interesting, exciting, thrilling and competent, it's not quite good enough to win any awards but it's top notch Sunday night entertainment all the same. ***