Like “Milk” and “Frost/Nixon,” “Valkyrie” faces the problem of engaging audiences in a story when the outcome is a forgone conclusion. Those with a basic knowledge of history know that Hitler was not assassinated, but director Brian Singer has effectively crafted this war thriller in such a way that you become involved in the details of the plot anyway. Col. Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise), known among Germans for his resistance to Hitler’s mandates but less known to American audiences, is a loyal soldier, losing a hand and an eye during a battle in Tunisia. The plan that Stauffenberg devises, with the help of a network of dissident army officers and political leaders, is a blend of suspenseful daring and clever strategy. Of course, the July 20, 1944 plot fails when a bomb planted in Hitler’s presence does little damage and the Nazi leader survives with minor scratches. Army loyalists quell the coup and Stauffenberg and 200 others are executed while scores of others arrested.
Singer has assembled a top-notch international cast, including Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Terence Stamp, and Eddie Izzard, and given them permission to speak their lines with their native accents, which is a good thing for Cruise since he is notorious for his quintessential American speech. Singer also succeeds in transporting audiences back in time. “Valkyrie’s” authentic look helps to keep the audience immersed in the story, even though we know how it will end. 1/3/09
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