Many saw evil. They dared to stop it.

Rating: 6/10 (26 December 2008)

At the height of WW2, a group of high-ranking German officers hatched a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, and seize power of the military command in order to end the war. The operation was codenamed "Valkyrie", for the emergency plan that was meant to be used in case of a revolt against the Nazi government.
Let me get to the point: Don't let the trailer for the film fool you. Don't let the director fool you. Don't even let Tom Cruise fool you. What's being advertised as a nail-biting, suspenseful film, many people will be disappointed that "Valkyrie" is more like the opposite. It's not a bad film, honestly. I enjoyed it but when watching the film, get ready to hear a lot of coughing in the audience to break the silence throughout the film.
The movie is actually two separate films: The first half is actually the planning of Hitler's assassination. Due to the film being built upon this secret plan, none of the "action" really starts until the second half. That's where the problem lies. The first film is pretty...uneventful. The second half, although much more exciting and more things happening, is still not as "action packed" as you hope it to be.
I guess if you're a person who likes dialog to fill the screen for the first half and some action the second, you'll enjoy it. It's great, actually, because the film doesn't need mindless action to fill up the running time, which is partly the reason why I liked the film. However, if you want it like Bryan Singer's previous efforts, you'll be disappointed.
I won't be surprised if the majority of the people find this film boring and too talky. I won't blame them for expecting something much more like shown in the trailer. However, it's based on a true story so you know the filmmakers were trying to keep it true, although maybe changing a few things for the silver screen. Tom Cruise does a decent job as Stauffenberg, the mastermind behind the plan, although not an Oscar worthy performance (that would go to his performance in "Tropic Thunder," of course). Everyone else also do a decent job for what they have.
In the end, although not as big as the advertising make it out to be, along with the names on the movie, the film is, in my opinion, what I call, passable entertainment and important history for people to learn, if they hadn't known already. The film is more a psychological film than an action blockbuster starring Tom Cruise. Yes, I'll admit, it's Cruise and Singer's weaker efforts but you can't deny them for trying their best for what they have.