"Valkyrie" (2008) - Movie Review

A fiery discussion came up with a friend of mine past week regarding actor Tom Cruise’s acting. He said that the actor is a sell out, I defended Cruise. True that he does not portray a great actor’s capabilities of sticking to the skin of the character. True that he cannot be hailed as an example of great skills but one thing is certain that the man works hard and bends over backward to show his liking on films. Here he becomes a German Military Officer Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, a major key player in the assassination plot against Adolf Hitler called as 20th July plot.

Directed by Bryan Singer, a man knowing the pulse on how to move a screenplay swift and effective, “Valkyrie” works as a great thriller. It maneuvers as a natural flow of water in a beautiful stream of rocks and pebbles deceiving at many times on doubting the plot or the effectiveness of the filming itself. As the promos for the films came by, I had terrible trouble on digesting the fact of Cruise with a great American accented English saying “Operation Valkyrie is in effect”. But as the film begins transcending from German narration to English, it set right in. It respected the authenticity but wanted to take control of the material in its own terms.

Now I would not go ahead and stamp itself as this “true story” as no one might have known the actual scenarios which is the trouble the filming takes on generally on true stories. As with any of these films, the glasses of molding and morphing takes its toll to give a fictionalized version of it. But so much did happen that the plot was indeed planned and executed almost successfully. The story manipulates on our knowing that the assassination was a failure. Hence we look for the points where it would screw up rather than the tension of whether it would succeed.

The movie is an entertainer and no one should doubt that. It relentlessly drives the screen in closed doors with short sentences to execute the plan. The plan with considerations and the charisma of Cruise to believe in him completely. As to every one’s concern Cruise gives Cruise behind an eye patch. Yet the major factor for the film to be crucially winning over us is the screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander. They have completely eliminated the fact of bringing the unnecessary dose of melodrama Hollywood inserts into a story for movements than sappiness.

The plot is astounding for the man to put on the mask of machination against the universally declared representation of evil in Hitler here played by David Bamber. The very first question in fact I had is whether killing him is the ultimate solution for the cruelty as such? Or in better terms does cutting the top command is going to immediately relieve the charm put on the rest of the chain? And in the very first secretive meeting Stauffenberg is invited he asks it. Citing that as his reasons for doubts he comes up with the plan of emergency situation army movement in reserve named as “Operation Valkyrie”.

And in this are the team of people placed at key positions to pull the trigger to make the puzzle of the plot work. A man inside, a man by side and a leader in hesitation and like this are numerous small but influential factors playing roles in this screenplay. And every time the plan is set in motion, we are on high alert for its screw ups. In the last moment they steal it away from us.

The tragedy of the true story is known but the fact that Singer and his team worked it out perfectly beckons appreciation for its genre. It does not blink away from the central axis of its story setting straight and clean in its execution. With good actors such as Bill Nighy and who else to play the sleazy personality as a man of opportunity General Friedrich Fromm by Tom Wilkinson, the supporting cast of Eddie Izzard, Terence Stamp, Jamie Parker and Christian Berkel do their timing precisely. “Valkyrie” does the best what thriller films does, which is to proclaim as one in all honesty. It does not masquerade as something else and for any true film that is the essential part.