The "July 20 Plot" on Hitler's life is one of the most heroic but least known episodes of World War II. Severely wounded in combat, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg returns from Africa to join the German Resistance and help create Operation Valkyrie, a complex plan that will allow a shadow government to replace Hitler once he is dead. However fate and circumstance conspire to thrust Stauffenberg into an imminent ultimatum. Not only must he lead the coup and seize control of his nation's government, he must also kill Hitler himself.
The story revolves around the attempted assasination of Adolf Hitler in 1944. Tom Cruise plays a colonel who returns from Africa, and as circumstances would have, to lead the German Resistance to overthrow Hitler. Well, if you had paid attention during your history class, you would have found out the 'spolier' in this movie's ending. Valkyrie was really a passable film but not exciting enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. Did not find it gritty enough and definitely one of the poorer showings of director Bryan Singer who has come up with several hits in his past films. Maybe the film did not portray why Colonel Stranffenberg's or the Resistance's strong motivation in killing Hitler that I found myself feeling detached from the characters. With a whole slew of box office hits hitting the screens during the Oscars period, I'd given this a miss and wait for the DVD.
Hollywood has lots of obsessions. Terrorism is one thing. Choosing a suave guy to be their President is another. And then there's the 'politically-correct' representation of the Fuhrer. Time and time again, audiences are fed with this notion of how evil Adolf Hitler is through many ways be it an in-your-face movie like "Hitler: The Rise of Evil" or smaller roles (but still evil) like in "Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade" and "Valkyrie".
It's a shame, that while it was meant to highlight the famous July 20, 1944 plot that was triggered by the German resistance with Colonel Claus Von Stauffenberg as its mastermind, the movie cannot help itself from depicting Hitler and his subordinates in such over-the-top manner. Here it means, dark scary background score for every scene that has Hitler in it, coupled with dramatic entrance and thick German accent, while looking like a monster with a peculiar moustache. It has somehow tainted the movie's supposedly 'based-on-a-true-event' tag through its dramatic depiction.
There isn't much to say about the cast especially Tom Cruise, as at times you don't feel sympathetic to what his character (or any other character) has been through. Bill Nighy as General Friedrich Olbricht is competent, but the rest are just there to fill in the roles. And weirdly enough, some characters have American accent, some British, and some - which mostly are the GESTAPO men - has eerie German accent. It might look trivial but it made the movie loose its appeal.
On the more positive side, the wardrobes used were excellent. The costumes emphasised the differences in ranks, departments, and ministries and in a way it helps those who are not familiar with Nazi government to differentiate who, what and which especially when it involves scenes like the coup d'etat where three different situations are occurring simultaneously. The settings were also interestingly built, such as the Wolf's Lair, the Ministry of War and the GESTAPO headquarter.
Don't be fooled by the thought that "Valkyrie" is an action packed movie. The Tunisia battle would be the only battle scene that is worth the action. Watch this if you are in love with Tom Cruise or if you love anything World War II-related.
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