Good and detailed adaptation about the ¨July 20 plot ¨ with magnificent actors and splendid direction

Rating: 7/10 (13 February 2009)

This is a fine movie about the July 20 plot of 1944 made with magnificent American-British-German actors and great production values. The picture contains a brief biographical remarks about Claus Schenk Graf Von Stauffenberg life(1907-1944), his wife(Van Hooten) and sons but focusing mainly the July Plot. The film packs a colorful cinematography by Newton Thomas Siegel and atmospheric musical score by John Ottman, also film-editor.This story about Stauffenberg and the famous event from how was orchestrated the dangerous plot has been well directed by Brian Singer(X men). Another versions about this fateful tale are: the classic version(1955) by G.W. Pabst with Bernhard Wicki as Stauffemberg, an American TV movie starred by Brad Davies and German adaptation titled 'Stauffemberg(2004)' with Sebastian Koch, Christopher Buchold and directed by Jo Baier who bears special remembrance to 'Valkyrie'.
Adding more details over the widely described on the movie, the deeds happened of the following manner: In the early part WWII Stauffenberg(Tom Cruise) served with distinction as an officer in a Bavarian cavalry regiment in Poland, France and North Africa where in 1943 he was deeply wounded. He was saved by the expert supervision of Dr. Ferdinand, Germany's most famous physician. Reporting back for service, he was appointed chief of staff of the Army Department. During his convalescence he revised his attitude . He made no secret of his utter contempt for Hitler(David Bamber) and Nazism. He resented any form of totalitarianism, especially National Socialism, and criticized Hitler as the Antichrist.The meticulous Stauffenberg then decided to join the conspirators against Hitler with the goal of liquidating the Nazi regime and replacing it with a new social state that would maintain the good name of fatherland. Always impelled by Christian morality and angered by the excesses of Nazism, Stauffenberg became the leader of the conspiracy. At the center of the plot were such senior officers as Gen. Von Tresckow(Kenneth Branagh), chief of staff in Army Group Center on the Russian front, Col.Gen Friedrich Olbricht(Bill Nighy), head of supply Section of the Reserve Army , Major Gen. Erwin Van Witzleber(David Scofield) and General Beck(Terence Stamp). Added to these senior members were a number of younger officers(Christian Berkel as Mertz) who believed who Third Reich was a catastrophe for Germany and were willing to gamble their lives on the outcome of the plot. Others knew of the plot but did not take an active role in it. Among them were Field Marshal Erwin Rommel,popular war hero, General Canaris and Field Marshal Hans Von Kluge, army group commander in France. In March 1943 General Tresckow decided that the time had come for action. A British-made bomb time , disguised as a bottle of brandy, was placed on the Fuehrer's plane , but the bomb failed to explode and it was never discovered. Then General Von Tresckow agreed with Stauffenberg that the assassination attempt must be made at all costs: 'We must prove to the world and to future generations that the men of the German Resistance movement dared to take the decisive step and wager their lives on it'. When Hitler called a conference of his close military advisers at the headquarter at Rastenburg, Staufffenberg arrived and in his briefcase along with papers and reports, was a British time bomb. He set the timer on the bomb and brought it into the conference room. After greeting the Fuehrer , he placed the briefcase on the floor beside Hitler and the excused himself: 'I must make a telephone call'. And the bomb exploded......