Diagonaldi Very well executed

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

stefansofronijevic The actors did a wonderful job, unfortunately it's not just up to them. This story should be stronger, as were those times. I didn't really feel the pain of those brave people who stood up to the regime. Also, some history facts are not correct, but you can expect that from a Hollywood movie. Don't expect to see a great film, like The Bunker or Life is beautiful, but rather a good watch.

slightlymad22 Valkyrie (2008)Plot In A Paragraph: A dramatization of the 20 July assassination and political coup plot by desperate renegade German Army officers against Hitler during World War II.I had long since stopped listening to critics, and decided if I fancied a movie, based on its merits!! Shamefully I passed on this and only watched it last year when I stumbled across it starting on TV in the early hours of the morning.Considering most people know the outcome of the movie, Director Bryan Singer has created a movie that is surprisingly suspenseful and tense. All of the cast are superb, Terrance Stamp, Jamie Parker, Carice Van Outen, Bill Nighy and Tom Wilkinson (I was glad to see what happened to his character in real life) stand out. Cruise on the other hand plays it perfectly understated. A real less is more performance. Other than the fact it was popular to bash Cruise at the time, I don't get the hate aimed at him for this movie. Valkyrie grossed $80 million at the domestic box office to end the year, the 35th highest grossing movie of 2008. The film grossed 200 million dollars worldwide making it the fifth highest-grossing World War II film of all-time.

CinemaClown As informative as it is intriguing, Valkyrie is a finely carved, swiftly paced & well acted historical account that takes a leaflet out of the countless unforgettable events which occurred during the Second World War, and brings it to cinematic life in a tense & gripping fashion but what hinders it from making the desired impact is Tom Cruise's own star presence.Set in 1944 during World War II, Valkyrie chronicles the path to July 20 plot, a failed assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler, that was concocted by Claus von Stauffenberg & his associates in order to remove the Nazi Party from power. The plot briefly glimpses over Stauffenberg's early life before focusing on the plans & preparations to assassinate the Führer & end the war.Directed by Bryan Singer (best known for The Usual Suspects & X-Men series), Valkyrie unfolds at breakneck speed once the board is set but it tries to handle too many characters at once, which often results in confusions regarding who's supposed to be playing what role in the game plan. Singer's direction exhibits a kinetic flair, and he is able to keep the viewers invested in his story.The screenplay does take notes from historical records but it also takes artistic license with a few events to dramatise the narrative but it's restrained to a level that doesn't affect the main premise. The period-specific detailing is a welcome attribute, the glossy camera-work only adds more shine to its images, Editing is slick for the most part, and John Ottman chips in with a score that does its required job.Coming to the performances, the cast consists of Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Thomas Kretschmann & others, and the supporting cast play their respective roles in a responsible manner. Cruise himself delivers a strong input as Stauffenberg but he's unable to get rid of his star status, and is never truly convincing as the given character. Lastly, whoever played Hitler was just awful.On an overall scale, Valkyrie is no masterpiece but it does bring to light the legacy of Claus von Stauffenberg & his noble cause to show the world that not everyone in Germany shared Hitler's ideals. The film works as a thriller, is thoroughly engaging, and continues getting better as plot progresses before finishing on a powerful note but it's not impressive enough to garner a spot amongst the finest examples of its genre. Definitely worth a shot.

GusF A largely historically accurate account of the failed 20 July 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler, this is a very effective thriller which maintains a high level of tension and foreboding throughout. The very good script by Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander has a nice eye for historical detail and respects the audience's intelligence while Bryan Singer directs the film with his usual flair. At 1 hour and 50 minutes, the film is not especially long and it rollicks along at a very brisk pace.Tom Cruise is a modern day John Wayne in that he is a great film star as opposed to a great actor but he is perfectly fine as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, a man of great courage, honour and resourcefulness who is recruited into the German Resistance in 1943 and becomes one of the leading figures in the plot to save Germany from Nazism. Even before the war, von Stauffenberg was dubious of the Nazis and these feelings became more pronounced as he learned of their atrocities. He is able to cut through the constant arguments that are besetting his co-conspirators and convinces them of the necessity of cutting off the snake's head rather than attacking its tail. He has a clarity of vision which makes him the perfect person to lead the operation. His assumption that Hitler has been killed in the explosion at the Wolf's Lair is based not on wishful thinking but on a reasoned and perfectly logical conclusion based on the evidence that he could not have survived, though one which unfortunately turned out to be incorrect.Although he is credited second, Kenneth Branagh has little more than a glorified cameo as General Henning von Tresckow but he is extremely good in the role. Bill Nighy gives the best performance in the film as General Friedrich Olbricht, whose neurotic behaviour and indecision causes many problems for the Resistance. In spite of this, he is depicted as a good man but one who would probably not have been allowed to play such a significant role in the plot due to his unsuitable personal traits if the Resistance had had more options at their disposal. Tom Wilkinson is excellent as the "careerist pig" Friedrich Fromm who becomes involved in the plot out of love for himself rather than out of hatred for the Nazis. Kevin McNally is suitably unctuous as Carl Goerdeler, a more antagonistic figure in the film than in reality who would have become Chancellor of Germany had the plot succeeded. Terence Stamp brings a great deal of quiet dignity to the role of the would-be President Ludwig Beck, who displays great wisdom and integrity in all of his scenes.Out of the supporting cast, I was very impressed by David Bamber as Hitler (who, wisely, is kept off-screen for the most of the film, making only brief appearances), Jamie Parker as Lt. von Haeften, Carice von Houten as von Stauffenberg's wife Nina (who died only two and a half years before the film was released), Thomas Kretschmann as Otto Remer (an infamous postwar Holocaust denier), Christian Berkel as Colonel von Quirnheim, Kenneth Cranham as Field Marshal Keitel and Tom Hollander as Colonel Brandt, a major thorn in the conspirators' side for most of the film who unwittingly saved Hitler's life at the cost of his own when he moved the briefcase containing the bomb. It also features nice small appearances by Bernard Hill, Danny Webb, Chris Larkin, David Schofield and Ian McNeice. However, I thought that Eddie Izzard was a very odd choice for Fellgiebel, though he does try his best.The aborted 15 July attempt on Hitler's life is not depicted in an entirely accurate fashion but, had it been carried out then, it may have had a better chance of success. I can't help but wonder how the Allies would have reacted if the plot had been successful in assassinating Hitler. I'd be interested in reading an alternate history novel on the subject. The use of Operation Valkyrie to seize control of the government was a brilliant idea which could very well have worked if Hitler had been killed. I thought that the film did a very good job of portraying the confusion that plagued both sides in the hours after the bomb was detonated, particularly as regards whether Hitler was alive or dead. He was basically Schrödinger's Führer! Overall, this is a gripping thriller which depicted the events surrounding the 20 July plot and the individuals who laid down their lives to enact it with a great deal of admiration and respect.