Valkyrie

During a season in which Hollywood actors glide across red carpets with hopes of making an acceptance speech, a specific type of film continually tends to be shown in cinemas across the world.   With a subject matter that’s strong enough attain a profound worldwide attention, Nazi Germany/Holocaust films could easily classify among their own unique genre.

One film, however, is trying to break free of these redundancies by depicting a never before seen Nazi Germany story. “Valkyrie” tells the courageous story about a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

In this Bryan Singer directed fact-based historical thriller, Tom Cruise stars as Nazi Colonel Claus von Stauffenburg. Instead of following the orders of his dictating ruler during World War II, Colonel Stauffenberg sees a deadly and degrading evil looming over his country. Hoping to use his military power to give Germany back to the hands of good, Stauffenberg begins a careful search among his enemies to find others willing to stand up against one of the most powerful evil men in history.

With cast members that barely feature any German roots, “Valkyrie” chooses to translate its historical German story to an Americanized representation. This by no means discredits the true nature of the story, but does manage to take away some of its authenticity. The lack of attempt at a German accent by any actor overtakes nearly every scene. Pointing a finger solely at Tom Curise for this allegation is ludicrous, considering he’s the only one to speak the language as an opening narrator. Besides, it could be worse. There’s nothing more annoying than a poor attempt at an accent hindering you enjoyment of a potentially great film.

What “Valkyrie” lacks in depiction is nearly erased by Singer’s unique stylistic direction. Aside from accompanying tightly woven sequences of suspense with an artistic composure, Singer collects a powerful supporting cast to surround Cruise. Strong performances by Bill Nighy and Eddie Izzard show how men like Stauffenberg made the courageous decisions they’ll forever be remembered for.

“Valkyrie” is a movie that didn’t set out to change history. Seeing that the outcome of the film never once strayed from being a true retelling, “Valkyrie” is best viewed as an effective thriller that depicts historical events with courageous characters and their timeless humanity.

Valkyrie

Rated PG-13 for violence and brief strong language

Runtime: 120 min.

Starring: Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Terence Stamp, and Eddie Izzard

Directed by Bryan Singer