VALKYRIE Movie

Plot Summary

At the height of WWII, a group of German officers hatched a plot to assassinate Hitler and seize control of the military command in order to end the war. The operation was code-named "Valkyrie", for the emergency plan that was meant to be used in case of a revolt against the Nazi government. This plan had been modified by the conspirators to ensure their success, but for various reasons the plot failed when finally carried out on 20 July 1944. The conspirators of the inner circle were shot after a kangaroo trial or sentenced to death soon after. Starring Tom Cruise as the Colonel who was the main force behind the conspiracy, the distinguished cast also includes Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Terence Stamp and Eddie Izzard. Directed by Bryan Singer.

Critics' Reviews

Fresh: It is a well-made film that raises timeless questions about the demands of military duty when they are placed in conflict with higher principles. – Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine, Jun 24, 2010

Rotten: What you miss in both Defiance and Valkyrie is inner conflict. Their protagonists have not an instant of self-doubt. They're figures in historical pageants, not characters in a drama. – Bob Mondello, NPR, Jun 24, 2010

Fresh: Valkyrie doesn't whip you up like that Jewish vigilante avenger picture Defiance, but in this season of throat-grabbing Holocaust movies, its gentlemanliness is most welcome. – David Edelstein, New York Magazine, Jun 24, 2010

Fresh: Mr. Cruise's performance turns out to be brisk and reasonably plausible, though unexceptional, while the production as a whole succeeds as an elaborate procedural, impressively staged in historical locations. – Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal, Jun 24, 2010

Customer Reviews
Watch this, and Forget Tom Cruise

by Swordsman1425

Seriously, forget everything you know or think you know about Tom Cruise. It really saddens me that so many people didn't watch this movie or gave it a bad rap because of him. If you just stop thinking that Stauffenberg is played by Tom Cruise, and focus on the storyline, I promise, you'll forget that it's him about twenty minutes into the movie, give or take. Very gripping, suspenseful, and will keep you glued to your seat until the very end of the movie. Highly recommended, particularly to history buffs of WWII!
Human character at it's best. The best part it's true.

by Real Poker Jedi

People go to a movie, normally on average ignorant about history, and true stories. Such as 300, which was turned into a male stripper action movie, instead of a dedication to the spartans. It was meant to amuse women, and keep the interest of action buffs and spit of the memory of the heros that died. Just for the sake to keep america's majority entertained who went and see it. At the cost of truth and history. You won't get any of that in this movie, this is a true historical account of what human spirit can do and as a history buff I can tell you everything is captured to the smallest detail, story wise. If you have ever seen the 13th warrior a character in the movie sits by a campfire to learn the language of the vikings. Soon the more he understands, they start to speak english more and more. That is how he understands them, well that is what they did right from the start of this movie. A story no matter in what language as long as it is true to the history doesn't matter how it's told through. It matters about if it is treated with justice and it was. True stories aren't meant to be broken down, like movies of fiction and I believe they shouldn't be. This movie is great for any intelligent person, person interested and wanting to be inspired by real people who lived in the past, and anyone wanting to watch a true in depth drama of a interesting story that shows the courage that people have that seems to be rare in this day of age. It's a amazing true story, you owe yourself, buy this movie. Now that being said, you will not like this movie, if the only movies you like are fast and the furious and other mindless action movies (not that they aren't cool once in awhile), with no point, nudity and Vin Diesil. In other words, if you are a moron who doesn't want to think to be entertained, and don't care about anything else outside your life and your day to day routine. Don't even bother and I want to thank you for inspiring hollywood more times then not, to mess up true stories, and great fictional/non fiction books. To get your money because there are more of you out there, then people who aren't ignorant about source material and or history. Top flight film, it is really amazing. Especially if you are new to the history of the event.