Valkyrie (Theaters)

When I first saw the previews for this movie, it immediately grabbed my attention. World War II films are fairly common, however Valkyrie was original in that it told the story of the fight against Hitler from a viewpoint within the Nazi ranks. The inclusion of Tom Cruise was also an added bonus, not exactly for his acting ability, but more for the fact that the quality level of projects he is associated with is usually top notch.  Factor in a Christmas Day release, usually saved for the best holiday blockbusters, and this film had all the makings of a hit.

Let me just preface by saying that this movie is not an action movie by any means. While I didn’t go into the theater expecting Jason Statham to be kicking people through windows, I did expect a bit more focus on action.  The lack of action is not a bad thing, however, the previews can be a bit misleading.

The story focuses on a group of officers in Hitler’s army who have taken it upon themselves to assassinate Hitler and reclaim Germany from the grip of the Nazis. It portrays the German army as being divided into two groups: those that willingly support Hitler and those that oppose Hitler but support him out of fear.  While the actual plot of Valkyrie is decent, it is this dynamic between supporters and conspirators that is really the highlight and main focus of the entire film.  Often times in movies, the Germans are portrayed as malicious Nazis all sharing a single consciousness hell bent on world domination and genocide.  In this film, we see that Germans are people too, and like many groups at the time were forced to support the Nazis regardless of their personal beliefs. 

Perhaps the biggest gripe many people will have with this film is the casting of Tom Cruise.  Although he maintains his essential “Tom Cruiseness” as he does in every movie, after a while it becomes less and less noticeable as you become more enveloped in the story that is unfolding. This is important to note, as he doesn’t exactly flex his acting muscles, ( or whatever acting muscles he has) his perforance is good enough that his character is both believable AND Tom Cruise without venturing into “Keanu Reeves” territory.

While actual historical events will keep the plot somewhat predictable, the story manages to maintain tension throughout, as the risk and consequences of being caught is ever present up until the movie’s ending.  The supporting cast is comprised of strong character actors who most people will not recognize any more than a simple “wasn’t he so and so in that other movie?”.  However in this film, the supporting cast performs excellently. 

Those who go into this movie expecting an action packed blockbuster will be sorely disappointed. Those who venture in with an open mind and a desire to gain insight into the most notorious government and dictator in human history will definitely learn alot from this film.  Overall the movie is well made with a decent plot, however the average movie goer may be a bit bored as some sections of the movie tend to drag a bit and the action is minimal.  History buffs will definitely enjoy this film as the amount of detail given to portray the priod accurately is noticeable immediately.  While not the best film to come out this holiday season, it is fairly interesting and entertaining throughout, with only a few exceptions.