In July, 1944 a group of top German army officers plotted to assassinate Adolph Hitler, take over the country and make peace with the Allies. If you paid attention at all in history class you will know that this plot did not succeed, as Hitler wasn’t defeated until nine months later. In fact, this was the fifteenth attempt on Hitler’s life so the fact that a coup was attempted isn’t really the amazing part. What makes this piece of history so compelling is just how close they came to succeeding. This story forms the backbone upon which Bryan Singer’s latest film, Valkyrie, is based.
Singer begins the film with a nice little visual and audio cue that fades from German into English, which lets him off the hook of requiring his cast to speak German and frees us from having to read subtitles. During this we are introduced to Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, played by Tom Cruise. And let’s go ahead and address the elephant in the room. Tom Cruise does a remarkable job playing von Stauffenberg. This role really requires a lot of range and depth and Cruise rises to the challenge admirably. If you choose to skip this movie based on your own issues with Cruise’s personal life or beliefs, then you are really missing out. Within ten minutes von Stauffenberg is seriously injured, losing an eye, his right hand and two fingers from his left hand. It’s through this mask of war wounds that Cruise gives a dramatic and emotional performance without his physical charm or Jerry Maguire-esque over-exuberance. Cruise plays a disillusioned patriot tired of the cost his beloved country is paying for Der Führer’s campaign against the world. It’s interesting that, despite an earlier failed assassination attempt, the would-be resistance seems to be mostly bravado and scheming until von Stauffenberg gets involved. He not only provides some much needed strategy, but also pushes the other key members to commit to their plan.
The rest of the resistance is rounded out by an amazing cast playing a semi-disparate group of German soldiers united by their common goal of removing the Nazis from power and preventing the Allies from decimating their country. Kenneth Branagh plays Major General Henning von Tresckow. When we first meet Tresckow he plants a bomb aboard Hitler’s plane which fails to detonate. One of the more intense scenes is when Tresckow must retrieve the bomb (disguised as a cased bottle of alcohol) from another officer. Not surprisingly, Branagh turns in an exceptional performance. David Schofield turns in a terrific performance as Erwin von Witzleben. Witzleben was chosen to to be the head of the entire German army, but, alas, it was not to be. General Friedrich Fromm switched sides seemingly on a whim and was responsible for executing the main conspirators in order to save his own neck. That didn’t save him, however. Here he is portrayed by Tom Wilkinson who not only gives Fromm an air of sympathy, but also the slight sinister edge required at just the right moments. Also notable are Christian Berkel, Jamie Parker, Kevin McNally and Eddie Izzard, the latter of which turns in a particularly subdued yet award-worthy job. Also worth mention is Carice van Houten who plays Stauffenberg’s wife, Nina. Her few scenes are short on dialogue, but that doesn’t stop her from conveying a depth of emotion most actors can’t deliver in an entire film all to themselves.
Next to Cruise, and I want to stress that Cruise owns this film purely by his raw acting talent alone, there are two other performances that rise above the others. General Ludwig Beck was to be Head of State and is played by Terence Stamp, who actually endured the Blitz as a child. After being criminally misused earlier this year in the abysmal Wanted, Stamp here gets to show why he is the acclaimed actor that he is. Stamp easily carries the weight of a veteran General who is ready to become the elder statesman and do whatever is necessary to save his country from Hitler’s violent path of conquest. That said, my favorite part of the whole movie is Bill Nighy as General Friedrich Olbricht. Olbricht was one who came the furthest in the sense of moving from vocally opposing Hitler to being a man of decisive action. His hesitation at a crucial juncture may have been the deciding factor in the coup’s ultimate failure. Nighy plays Olbricht as subdued, but you can see the barely controlled pressure, anger and, at times, indecisiveness in his every expression. Nighy isn’t his normally carefree, breezy self, but instead portrays Olbricht as tightly-wound and barely in control and is a real treat to watch. It’s only when the coup is in full swing does he let himself relax and breathe. That is, of course, short lived, literally and figuratively.
Christopher McQuarrie has written a tightly paced script that provides what seems to be a sprawling epic in a relatively short amount of time. There’s no fluff here as every scene is important and informs what happens next or provides a satisfying payoff to something set up earlier. Bryan Singer once again knocks it out of the park. He is able to get some truly stunning performances out of his assemblage of actors. Another great thing about Singer is his usage of sets. He doesn’t use anything that overshadows the actors or takes your focus from them, except for the few times that it is required. On the other hand, his use of the actual locations where this really took place acts as the perfect backdrop and emphasizes the gravity of what is occurring. He handles grand, sweeping shots as deftly as close-up, intimate moments. Singer is one of the handful of filmmakers that get me into the theater for their latest film purely on their name alone and Valkyrie doesn’t disappoint in that regard.
I highly recommend Valkyrie, both to history buffs as well as to fans of well-made films. You will be thinking about this one long after leaving the theater and it will hopefully encourage you to do a little reading about history. Whether you need a reason to leave the house on Christmas Day or wait until the weekend, make this the next film you see.
