Valkyrie Delivers

Rating: 7/10 (28 December 2008)

According to film critics across the nation, Valkyrie fails miserably to live up to its impressive billing. This is not the case. Set within Nazi Germany towards the end of World War II, Adolf Hitler continues to drive the greatest genocide in the history of mankind against the world. Members of Hitler's Nazi regime, however, have taken it upon themselves to end the reign of Hitler, and 'Valkyrie' follows the journey of these individuals. Headed by Colonel Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise)these brave individuals hatch a crude plan to rid Germany of its continued spiral toward hell.
While Cruise is distractingly familiar at certain points in the movie, he delivers a solid performance. Director Bryan Singer has allowed Cruise to rely upon his strengths while others within the action are what feed the emotion. Bill Nighy (Olbricht) and Tom Wilkinson (Fromm) are excellent and help alleviate some of the films massive weight upon Cruise who seems to dominate every frame. The historical landmarks are impressive and the distance shots of the scenery help validate the movie.
For a movie whose ending is already known, Valkyrie is surprisingly riveting and entertaining. It is historically accurate and does the story justice. Cruise will not wow you with his performance, but that doesn't mean you will not enjoy 'Valkyrie' immensely.
BTJ III