Synopsis:

At the height of WW2, a group of high-ranking German officers hatched a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, and seize power of the military command in order to end the war. The operation used Hitler's own emergency plan for defending the Nazi Government against a revolt against the government. Colonel von Stauffenberg, who had lost an eye and part of his right hand in North Africa, was brought into the plot to modify the plan Codenamed Valkrie, to use the German Reserve forces against Hitler's Elite forces, the SS.

The Freak's Rating: B- : Selling a movie to the public when the public already knows the outcome can be a difficult task.  Studio heads typically push to attach big names to pull it off, much like Paramount did with Titanic.  James Cameron, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet had millions of people rooting for a boat to stay afloat that they knew when the film started, sank.  Valkyrie nabbed director Bryan Singer (of The Usual Suspects) and an incredible task including Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy and Tom Wilkinson to try to historically tell a story strong enough to garner public acclaim. 

The acting chops that signed up for this film virtually guarantee nice performances and they do deliver.  Along with the names mentioned above, Carice van Houten of Black Book is underused as Stauffenberg's wife, but worthy of a mention as her short screen time is still effective.  Direction and production is good, with one exception.  Hitler needs little character development to make the audience despise him, but Valkyrie's Hitler is cartoonish enough to make Pixar writers take note.  More attention should have been paid to the military mind and evil genius of the man than how greasy his hairstyle looked and how he walked like an ogre.

Despite that glaring oversight, Valkyrie does somehow get the audience rooting for the assassination of Hitler, which we all know doesn't happen.  The plans are effectively presented so that as a filmgoer you are aware of each step that must be accomplished during the final act of the film.  Costume and set design is nicely done and a pale-blue film filter is used on all exterior shots, creating an old European feel to the film.

There is a nice element at the beginning of the film informing us that though the protagonists are German, we will be told the story in English.  It is a fairly creative way to set the stage for the audience, one I appreciated.  There is also a moment in Valkyrie where Stauffenberg says to a fellow conspirator, "we need to do this or this will always be Hitler's Germany".  It is a profound statement, one that rings completely true.  In my early 20s, I had the opportunity to visit Germany.  As beautiful as the countryside was and as nice as the people were, I always had a little fear for some reason.  The Nazis were the worst example of humanity ever, one that Germany never will live down.  Stauffenberg did his best, as did many other Germans.  For that their story should be told.  Along with Black Book and The Tunnel, Valkyrie will entertain anyone eager to learn more about events not told in many textbooks about World War II.

Brian's Rating: B : Yeah, it was a decent movie and entertaining to watch. The main problem I had with it is that ending is completely known before it starts. One could argue that the ending is known for all movies based on true events, and that would be true if everybody researched the real events before going to the movie. In this case, no research is needed. There isn't a person alive that is older than 6 that doesn't know that Hitler was not assassinated.

click here to review it yourself!

Links: Click here to view official website Purchase the Soundtrack or DVD	Trailer: