Bryan Singer surprises by making a war movie with few Hollywood clichés.

Rating: 7/10 (8 July 2013)

The July plot of 1944 is the focus of Bryan Singer's attempt at a US-made war movie about the desperate attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler in the face of German defeat in World War II.
The main character and the mastermind behind the plot, Colonel von Stauffenberg, is played by Tom Cruise, in a bit of a surprising casting choice. Though Cruise is no stranger to historical films (The Last Samurai for example) the part of von Stauffenberg is a very complex man. After all, his true motives are clouded in mystery.
So does Cruise pull it off? Not really. The performance is decent, but if you compare with other performances in similar movies like Adrien Brody's pianist, or Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List. I suspect that the filmmakers know Cruise's limitations as well, since they have hired a stellar supporting cast including Kenneth Branagh, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy and Terence Stamp.
Nevertheless, this is a surprisingly solid effort, and one of the better American war movies made in the 2000s. Since Americans are not really involved, the viewer is spared the usual patriotism and flag-waving so common in American war movies, instead the film focuses all-in on von Stauffenberg and his plot. I think the movie looks good, has a good pace and keeps you interested all the way even if you history buffs already know how it will end.