Valkyrie

Long before it came out – in fact while it was still filming – World War II thriller Valkyrie was attracting a lot of bad buzz. Much of this negativity though had less to do with the film itself, directed by X-Men and The Usual Suspects’ Bryan Singer, and more to do with leading man Tom Cruise, whose strangely effusive off-screen behaviour, and well-known support of Scientology, has turned him into the media’s favourite celebrity whipping boy in recent years.

Frankly, I refuse to judge a film’s merits based on such irrelevant factors.


As it turns out, Valkyrie is just a so-so film. But it is nowhere near the massive flop that some film commentators have been making it out to be.

Just as WWII drama Defiance shatters the stereotype of European Jews as passive victims during the War, true story Valkyrie deflates the misconception that all Germans were supportive of Adolf Hitler.

From the outset of the film it’s made clear that many of Germany’s top military commanders, including Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise), were disgusted by the direction Hitler was leading the country. Risking charges of high treason, they cast aside their oaths to the Fuhrer and secretly joined forces with a band of politicians and businessmen (some more principled than others), to depose the dictator in the hope that they could make peace with the Allies before Germany was decimated, and millions of lives lost.

At this point it needs to be said that if you purchase a ticket for Valkyrie expecting non-stop action, you will be disappointed. Valkyrie has more in common with Cold War thrillers like The Russia House and The Hunt for Red October. Most of the film consists of tense phone conversations and hushed meetings as plans are formulated and key partners brought on board. So, yes, the first hour or so of Valkyrie does drag a bit.


Once Stauffenberg makes his first visit to Hitler’s fortified bunker, the Wolf’s Lair, though, the film’s pace picks up dramatically. Having viewed events with only mild interest up until this point, suddenly the audience is engrossed in how close these brave men and women came to altering the course of history… even if you can’t quite forget the forgone conclusion to events.

It’s a pity really that Valkyrie is ultimately such a mixed bag. On the positive side you have an outstanding support cast that includes Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp, Tom Wilkinson and Eddie Izzard. The cinematography is similarly excellent, with some powerful shots of Nazi iconography and Third Reich architecture. And it certainly is fascinating to see Nazi Party heads, like Goebbels, Himmler, and, of course, Hitler himself onscreen.

It’s just that the film just doesn’t engage the viewer from the outset as well as it should. And the clash of British, German and American accents is distracting in its inconsistency.

Valkyrie doesn’t come with a massive recommendation for these reasons, but if you have any interest in World War II history away from the battlefields, or are looking for some thoughtful adult cinema, the film is probably worth your while.