Valkyrie

Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Izzard, Bill Nighy, David Bamber
Rating: 12A (PG-13)
Company: Metro Goldwyn Mayer, United Artists
Duration: 121 minutes

Nazis… aren’t they just awesome? Well, that is what film makers seem to think with a whole swarm of Nazi related films oozing out for decades. Heck, even the website’s banner is from a brilliant Nazi exploitation film ‘Ilsa, The She-Wolf of the SS’.

So there was no surprise that with the recent reemergence of such a subgenre with ‘Inglourious Basterds’, ‘Downfall’ and ‘Defiance’, the outspoken Tom Cruise would decide to join forces with Bryan Singer to bring their own Nazi Thriller ‘Valkyrie’. But should the audience hail this movie or consider it a war crime?

‘Valkyrie’ is a film set in Nazi Germany that loosely depicts the July 20, 1944 plot by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Tom Cruise plays Colonel Stauffenberg, a soldier who got severely wounded by an ally attack in Tunisia, losing an eye and crippling both his hands. He returns home to Berlin, still bitter about the Nazi Regime’s ignorance and immoral approaches. Seeking revenge, he joins forces with the secret German Resistance to set up a plan to take over the S.S by calling on Operation Valkyrie, a plot that involves the deployment of the Reserve Army to maintain order in the event of a national emergency and redrafting it so that the plotters can dismantle the Nazi regime from within. The plot construction is very simple to follow, if not awkwardly paced at times. But it still has enough momentum to keep the audience entertained. The biggest problem this film has though is that it hasn’t got much tension, due to the fact that everyone is already aware of the outcome. The audience already knows that Hitler survives and that Stauffenberg and his band of men fail the mission, so the build-up leading towards the actual assassination seems almost pointless. However, even the obvious conclusion, it still kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering what was coming round the proverbial corner.

Tom Cruise as a Nazi Pirate?

With that said though, the film has a very beautiful glossy visual style that lures the audience in, whether it is the bright tones of red and black or the strong camerawork. The performances are fantastic all round, especially from the likes of Bill Nighy and Eddie Izzard, truly showing off their talents even at its most intense. The biggest criticism however is that it seems underdeveloped, with each role never truly evolving from its original point. It can sometimes even appear as campy with these famous actors in leather nazi costumes screaming up a dramatic storm. It is also a little surreal having an eclectic bunch of English and European accents all portraying themselves as solely German, but all this still doesn’t lose the impact of the performances. It may be an odd device but to me, it wasn’t distracting.

‘Valkyrie’ surprised me. It is a film that isn’t trying to provoke and enlighten audiences with authenticity or developed characters, but to show off an exciting true event in a simple entertaining way. Even with all its flaws, which is quite a bit, this was a fun, well structured thriller that becomes an interesting watch once engrossed.

Rating: 3/5
(Deserving of its military status)