In a country in the grips of evil, in a police state where every move is being watched in a world where justice and honor have been subverted, a group of men hidden inside the highest reaches of power decide to take action. Tom Cruise stars in the tense thriller, VALKYRIE, based on the true story of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (CRUISE) and the daring and ingenious plot to eliminate one of the most evil tyrants the world has ever known. Director Bryan Singer (THE USUAL SUSPECTS, X-MEN, SUPERMAN RETURNS) re-teams with Academy Award®-winning USUAL SUSPECTS screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie to bring to life the story of the men who led the operation to assassinate Hitler. The film also stars an acclaimed cast including Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Carice van Houten, Thomas Kretschmann, Eddie Izzard, Christian Berkel and Terence Stamp. A proud military man, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg is a loyal officer who serves his country all the while hoping that someone will find a way to stop Hitler before Europe and Germany are destroyed. Realizing that time is running out, he decides that he must take action himself and joins the German resistance. Armed with a cunning strategy to use Hitler's own emergency plan - known as Operation Valkyrie - these men plot to assassinate the dictator and overthrow his Nazi government from the inside. With everything in place, with the future of the world, the fate of millions and the lives of his wife and children hanging in the balance, von Stauffenberg is thrust from being one of many who oppose Hitler to the one who must kill Hitler himself. VALKYRIE is produced by Bryan Singer, Christopher McQuarrie and Gilbert Adler. McQuarrie co-wrote the original screenplay with Nathan Alexander who also serves as co-producer. The executive producers are Chris Lee, Ken Kamins, Daniel M. Snyder, Dwight C. Schar and Mark Shapiro. The film was shot in Germany at various locations where many of the actual events occurred, including the historic Bendlerblock. Recreating the atmosphere of urgency and paranoia inside the German resistance is a team that includes Singer's frequent collaborators Newton Thomas Sigel (SUPERMAN RETURNS, X2, X-MEN) as director of photography and editor/composer John Ottman (SUPERMAN RETURNS, X2); as well as production designers Lilly Kilvert (two-time Oscar®-nominee for THE LAST SAMURAI and LEGENDS OF THE FALL) and Patrick Lumb (THE OMEN) and costume designer Joanna Johnston (MUNICH, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN).
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"what a shame it is when I can't help thinking that the film could have been so much better than"
During my education I learnt about Nazi Germany, the rise to power of Hitler and the National Socialist Party, and the Second World War. I would have backed myself to have a pretty good knowledge of the subject. More than most, I would say that I understood how and why Hitler became so powerful, because I knew the background. This meant that I had a less harsh view of the German people than many.
As a result, I hadn't expected to leave the cinema so completely astounded by this film. I simply cannot believe that this most incredible of stories has had to wait 65 years to be told on screen. I do not hesitate to say that watching this film I feel like I have had blinkers taken from my eyes. Whether or not this is because I thought I was well versed I don't know, but I now look upon Nazi Germany in a different light all together.The film follows the last and most infamous of the 15 attempts to assassinate Adolf Hitler by the German Resistance - a group dedicated to removing Hitler from power to prevent further destruction in Germany and Europe. Risking everything - their lives and the lives of their families, these men plotted in the heartland of Nazi Germany to depose this most despicable dictator.
What a shame it is when I can't help thinking that the film could have been so much better than it is. That's not to say that it's a bad film, but with such a compelling story it is disappointing that there were no performances to match. I think part of this is down to the fact that the film concentrates more on the ‘big picture', rather than focusing on the characters themselves, which is a shame, as it meant I didn't feel as close or involved with their plight as I would have liked
Ultimately though, you're left with a story that will, or at least should, stay with you for the rest of your life. It's such a shame that you won't be able to remember any of the people that died to make it happen.
