"I'm engaged in high treason with all means available to me".

Rating: 9/10 (12 October 2009)

I don't consider myself a Tom Cruise fan, but he's appeared in a number of good films along the way. When I first heard about his involvement in this project, I had to scratch my head over the idea of his portraying a German military officer in World War II. Putting those thoughts aside while watching "Valkyrie' today, I have to say that I wound up thoroughly engrossed in the story. Finally there's a film that conveys to what extent Adolf Hitler's own reputation was held to derision within large segments of the German military. You only get a brief flavor of that in other World War II films, "Das Boot" is one that immediately comes to mind. Considering the fanatical grip that The Fuerher held over all matters and thinking during this period, it would seem improbable that so many willing co-conspirators would have found each other to attempt such an assassination plot. Perhaps the more intriguing aspect of the story has to do with Stauffenberg's plan to utilize the German Reserve Army in implicating an SS coup attempt against Hitler. That idea was so much more masterful than simply carrying out the assassination itself. It was also surprising to see how far ahead of his superior officers Stauffenberg was in his thinking. The movie weaves all of these dynamic intricacies together in a way that makes for a tense and suspenseful experience. Supporting Cruise you have a formidable cast, all of whom provide credible portrayals befitting their roles in the covert mission. Overall, this was a great bit of history to put to the screen, skillfully presented in a way that provides an insight into just how much opposition there was to Hitler within his own command.