One of the best films in years

Rating: 9/10 (26 December 2008)

Valkyrie had a troubled past. From negative reactions to Tom Cruise in the lead to German not being spoken in the trailers, it seemed like Valkyrie would bomb and be forgotten about forever. I am very pleased to say that is not true.
If you don't already know, the story concerns Klaus von Stauffenberg, a high-ranking German official who is missing a hand and an eye, conspiring to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Obviously, the plan fails and Hitler survives, committing suicide nine months later in 1945.
Some people have said that Valkyrie is pointless because Stauffenberg and others did not succeed. It's not about the outcome, just like if a movie were made about a firefighter who died in the World Trade Center. It's all about the courage and bravery it takes to make that kind of decision in the first place. Those men risked everything to rid the world of a psychotic tyrant, and this film will help show people that not all Nazis were the evil super villains we like to think they were.
Tom Cruise was incredible. Not once during the film did I think to myself "Hey, that's Tom Cruise!". He became Stauffenberg and stole every scene he's in. The other actors are excellent and convincing as well. I do like how Hitler wasn't portrayed as a brooding embodiment of evil. When the actor speaks, he doesn't growl or shout his lines monstrously. He simply talks, as you or I would. And that is very chilling.
Valkyrie is a fantastic movie, and one of the best I've seen in years. The cinematography, acting and suspense were handled masterfully. 9/10