Tom Cruise out of his league?

Rating: 3/10 (31 October 2015)

As seems normal for American big-budget movies of a historical nature, this must be seen as 'based on fact' rather than factual. The conspirators didn't get anywhere near the control of Berlin and Germany as Is suggested here. Indeed, some of the factual errors are huge - For example, Himmler Is shown not In his all-black SS uniform, but In the field-grey of the Wehrmacht(regular army) which Is a mistake of the highest order. He had no connection with the Wehrmacht In any form. Indeed, despite his presence and plenty of talk regarding the SS, not a single SS man or black SS uniform Is ever seen, especially silly when one considers that Hitlers' personal Bodyguard of two thousand SS men were In close proximity to him at all times. Then we see men In the brown uniforms of the SA (Sturmabteilung), an organisation disbanded In 1934, a full 10 years before the date In which these events are set. Hitler and his confidantes (Keitel, Himmler, Goering, Goebbels)look like comical caricatures rather than representations of the real people. Perhaps this was Intentional, but that makes It all the more puerile. Despite all of this, If you're a war-movie buff or just a person who likes to root for the underdog, then you'll enjoy this movie, Historians and purists will hate It. It's otherwise very well made, although where exactly the $75 Million budget went (other than In the pocket of Mr. Cruise) one can only speculate. The cast - mainly English actors - are superb and Bill Nighy In particular Is excellent as General Olbricht. Why Tom Cruise was chosen for Stauffenberg I simply cannot fathom. He's good at action movies, but this was beyond him and he's put to shame by the excellence of the other cast members. Stauffenberg had aristocratic bearing which Cruise couldn't replicate. Apparently, the whole cast were ordered to refrain from putting on German accents because poor Mr.Cruise couldn't do one, so even the German actors had to speak without an accent! Okay so an accent Isn't really necessary but It adds to the realism. Why didn't they simply get a more suitable man for the part? Tom should stick to what he's best at - this was way beyond him.