Valkyrie Review
by Homer Yen (homeryen88 AT gmail DOT com)January 1st, 2009
"Valkyrie" - Precision German Engineering
by Homer Yen
(c) 2008
Whatever opinion you had after watching Tom Cruise (TC) jumping on Oprah's couch and the opinion you will have of him after seeing him on the big screen will be as far apart as winter in the Alps and summer in the Caribbean. Maybe this particular celebrity doesn't do so well on television shows, where things aren't necessarily rehearsed. But he's very comfortable and commanding as a movie star, whether his roles are as varied as a foul-mouthed celebrity agent in "Tropic Thunder" or as a military idealist in "Valkyrie".
I say this because the advance buzz was not favorable even though the advance buzz was generated long before people had actually seen the film. And, there was genuine concern expressed by Berthold Schenk von Stauffenberg, son of the film's hero, Claus von Stauffenberg, who wanted to stop TC from going through with this project. Perhaps on the DVD, we could learn what compelled TC to want to tell Stauffenberg's story. In fact, so dedicated was TC to this project that he personally appealed to the Ministry of Defence, who initially refused to grant permission to let the production company film in certain sensitive locales. Ultimately, TC & co. were given the a-ok to film at the historic Bendler Block, now a memorial to those who meticulously organized and audaciously staged one of the most daring coups in history.
In many ways, making this film is an against-all-odds proposition, which could be a film unto itself. And, equally so, the ambitious plan of Claus von Stauffenberg (played here by TC) to assassinate Adolph Hitler is also an against-all-odds proposition. The history-based thriller is about the July 20, 1944, attempt, and it was the last of numerous attempts during Hitler's reign before Germany ultimately surrendered and the Fuhrer committed suicide.
The film is efficient in its telling as we are introduced to the major players of the plot. Pulling off such an operation requires dozens of committed people. The three most pivotal supporting players are: 1> a high-ranking officer (played by Kenneth Branagh) who initially leads the charge but then must lay low due to mounting suspicion; 2> a general (played by Tom Wilkerson) who will do whatever suits his best long-term interests; 3> Another general (played by Bill Nighy) whose nebbish qualities but access to high command makes him a double-edged sword.
Stauffenberg's disillusionment with Hitler isn't given the kind of treatment that could have made this film more inspirational. He says to another officer early on in the film that "you can serve the Fuhrer or you can serve Germany, but you can't serve both." In fact, not much is even spoken about Hitler's ruthlessness. We do see Hitler for periods of time on screen, and even one look at his face or just watching him in his War Room ambling about in a mad-scientist way immediately conjures up a sense of discomfort. Perhaps TCs motivations were under scrutiny (much like Kenneth Branagh's character) and perhaps given the sensitivity of the subject matter, it was best to just stick to the basics. TC's character is not the most complex that he's ever played, but he portrays Stauffenberg as
resolute.
"Valkyrie" is an edge-of-your seat, tense film. An amazing amount of planning and prayer went into this operation. Would men carry through with their parts? Would an explosive detonate when assembled by amateurs? The Anti-Hitler coalition was committing high treason, inviting certain death if they failed, but was heroic in their efforts. Similarly, for being able to bring the Stauffenberg story unto the big screen, and against all odds, "Valkyrie" is a heroic piece of filmmaking.
Grade: B
S 0 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 3 out of 3
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