An historical drama that demands suspense but is unable to deliver

Rating: 7/10 (20 May 2009)

Valkyrie is the story of the planned assassination of Adolf Hitler. Based on true events, as the movie reminds us, it the story of a missed chances, divided loyalties, devotion, and sacrifice. Unfortunately, Valkyrie the movie has trouble keeping up with the idea that these were men moved by desperate times to do desperate things in order to make sure their country survived. Part of the problem is that director Bryan Singer is unable to convince the audience to forget the historical ending of the coup leaders before the movie ends and thus Valkyrie is limited as soon as it begins.
Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) is a man who finds himself facing a war not only against the Allies, but also the Furher who he believes will destroy Germany. Every scene implies the sense of dedication Stauffenberg has to his country but also the tension he feels towards Adolf Hitler (David Bamber) and the officers responsible for Germany's defeats. After being wounded in North Africa, losing a hand, eye, and fingers from his one remaining hand, Stauffenberg carries a lasting memory and bitterness as to what Hitler has done not only to Germany but also to him as well as his family. A reunion with his wife Nina (Carice van Houten) and his children remind Stauffenberg what is at stake if Germany loses the war, a reality that seems very close to happening as the Allies move closer to Germany on three sides.
Stauffenberg if recruited by Major General Henning von Tresckow (Kenneth Branagh) and General Friedrich Olbricht (Bill Nighy) who are Wermarcht officers determined to replace Hitler. It is then that Stauffenberg soon takes over as the head of the operation to kill Hitler and to defeat the SS through an internal coup using an internal defense operation codenamed Valkyrie. If Hitler can be killed, and his circle of loyal officials and generals dealt with, then the war can be ended on honorable terms before Germany is destroyed.
The problem is how to do this and this is where Valkyrie the movie is unable to deliver. Valkyrie is unable to build suspense in the plans to kill Hitler which is of course the core of what the plot is about. This is a major flaw despite otherwise good acting and excellent writing. We learn of the various ways this could go wrong and the various tensions amidst the coup leaders themselves who had different objectives and reasonings to kill Hitler. None of this, however, can support the plot if it lacks suspense which Valkyrie tries to give. Valkyrie spends most of its time showing the dedication of these men to their mission but is unable to make the audience really care. Tom Cruise gave an excellent performance as Stauffenberg but he couldn't carry Valkyrie through. If more was spent perhaps focusing on his internal reasons for supporting the coup, and the fears he had for his family, then perhaps Valkyrie could have been more then what it was.
A disappointing historical movie, Valkyrie does show that there were men who were willing to challenge Hitler even if it was during the years when Germany's defeat was unavoidable. The tragedy is that these few men were not enough to stop him.
7/10