Cruise isn't a one-trick pony after all!

Rating: 9/10 (29 July 2009)

As someone who lived and studied in Germany, I personally have been aware of the July plot story for over 20 years now, and was concerned that while Tom Cruise may look the part, he perhaps lacked some of the gravitas and nuanced sensitivity to pull off a role of this magnitude.
That being said, I can now say that such concerns were totally unwarranted as Cruise, along with the rest of the ensemble cast, nailed it as far as I'm concerned.
To say that while watching this movie, I remained bolted to my seat, wide-eyed in a state of rapt attention, fluctuating emotionally from shock, to fear, to nail biting tension, and finally to tears when it ended, would be an understatement.
Additionally, for DVD owners, don't forget to enjoy the documentary, which provides a fascinating post-war study of these events and some of the problems Germans had in accepting that the actions of Stauffenberg, et alia, were in fact patriotic.
Also, the behind-the-scenes details regarding how both the American producers and German extras and crew approached the subject matter was fascinating. Regardless, it was reassuring to hear how the German public eventually came around to recognize their unlikely heroes.