Not just a cinematic history lesson

Rating: 8/10 (25 February 2009)

A powerful movie. The stark fear these men felt as they plotted to overthrow one of the most evil regimes the world has ever seen was well portrayed. To fail would mean not only their own deaths, but the deaths of their families as well. It was little wonder some of them hesitated when it came time to make that call. The bit where Stauffenberg turns to the portrait of Hitler and asks "Do you know how this war will end? The portrait will be unhung, and the man will be hung" then turns to von Haeften, the young man he's interviewing, and says "I am involved in high-treason by all means available to me. Can I count you in?" Just blew my mind. I think if I had been von Haeften at that moment, I'd have run screaming from the room. A well crafted film in every respect. Stands like a giant, head-and-shoulders above the morass of mediocrity (and worse) that is modern film-making.