A suspenseful and entertaining war thriller

Rating: 7/10 (3 January 2009)

After hearing the negative reviews, I was a bit anxious about seeing Valkyrie. However, it turned out to be a pleasant and enjoyable movie with a great supporting cast, a solid script, top-notch direction and stunningly realistic visuals. Of course, the first thing everyone talks about is Tom Cruise. I actually thought he was very solid, and after the first five minutes or so, I really pretty much forgot that it was Tom Cruise and saw only saw Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. It sounds impossible since he's so recognizable, but it happened. Unfortunately, most critics have written off his performance as 'distractingly bad,' and in my opinion, they are exaggerating a good deal; there is no doubt a lot of bias toward Cruise, and I suspect that many were already bashing his performance before even seeing the movie. I feel like this is rather unfair since a lot of critics have given the film itself negative reviews merely because they disliked his performance. The supporting cast also does a very good job, with special mention to Bill Nighy and Tom Wilkinson. Kenneth Branagh did a solid job considering he had surprisingly little screen time.
Valkyrie is meant to be a thriller - and that is exactly what it is. The score, Bryan Singer's direction, visuals and decidedly bleak script contribute to the tension that carries throughout the movie. It is remarkable that Singer was able to keep up the fast paced suspense when we already know the ending. Speaking of the ending, this is a depressing movie and doesn't offer the glimmer of hope at the end that one might expect from a WWII movie. Valkyrie could easily have been turned into an Oscar-bait drama, but instead, it is clearly geared more toward the audience with the explosions, action and expansive vistas that are the stuff of adrenaline-pumping action movies. And there is no doubt that it looks fantastic. The visuals and costumes look absolutely authentic and might even garner the movie a couple Oscar nods.
I also think that even though Valkyrie is presented more as a thriller than a war movie, it's interesting to learn about the story, which is relatively unknown to the general public, yet a momentous part of history. The movie does a good job of showing how far this small group of Germans was willing to go in order to save the country - and the continent - from total devastation.
If you go into the theater looking for a decent, entertaining thriller with a great story, then Valkyrie won't disappoint.