Valkyrie

If anyone knows anything about the fall of Hitler, then they know that he killed himself. Therefore, a movie based on an assassination attempt against the man will only conclude with their failure. I mention this because much of the movie seems to be played out as if those watching the movie don't know if these guys are going to succeed in their mission.
Tom Cruise was alright as... Tom Cruise, but with an eyepatch as he takes authority and emboldened choices while trying to recruit and follow through on the snuffing of Hitler. There's also a strong cast of respectable actors, with Kenneth Branagh, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighey, and ("KNEEL before Zod!") Terence Stamp, among others. A stellar cast does its' best to maintain a semblance of interest and suspense from a mortally flawed premise.
I enjoyed well enough the opening scene, in which Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg bargains with a General to pull out of a dangerous military task so that he can send his troops home. It shows his desire to help his fellow man, and also establishes his convincing argumentative skills, which are the basis of his actions through the rest of the film. Once it comes time for Stauffenberg and crew to plan the mission against Hitler, it's basically a three step movie process, done twice:
STEP 1: Assemble people to rise against Hitler.
STEP 2: Prepare the logistics for carrying out the task.
STEP 3: Carry out the attempt.

Having the foreknowledge of their failure only minized the possible suspense levels that could come from their efforts. The soundtrack and directing did an admirable job at trying to build suspense, playing each attempt like a countdown to a major event. My level of suspense was nearly non-existent unfortunately, since I had this nagging feeling in the back of my head that these guys were not going to be successful. The entire movie just felt anticlimactic. Seeing how this IS a Tom Cruise movie, I was thinking maybe they'd change the ending and actually have them WIN, because well... Tom Cruise never fails!
To make such an alteration to the historically Oscar-netting and unforgettable history of Hitler and WWII would probably cause a major backlash of opposition from everyone around the world. When it comes to Hitler's demise, I don't think a movie that is "based on a true story" can be quite that dismissive of the truth.

Valkyrie wasn't a terrible movie. It was better than it could have been, but knowing that these guys aren't going to be successful makes the elaborate sequences in which they're trying to make you think they WILL do well fall flat. It's played out like a movie that wants you to expect them to succeed. That's the movie's biggest flaw. If this was another movie which took place in an alternate world, in which it's a fascist regime led by a tyrannical leader that was similar to Hitler himself, I'd have been more unsure of the final act. I would have hoped for the best, and been fairly crushed by the lack of success. In that case, many viewers might be upset because "the good guys lose", but it might have also been INTERESTING because many would make the symbolic crossover of the real events that took place in this movie.
It seems any time a movie is done in earnest to try to show the horrors of Nazi Germany, the Academy will eat it up. This was released on Christmas so it's fresh in the Academy's mind upon release. I get a little torn by those that do Nazi movies and release them at the end of the year. To put light on such a depressing event is a GOOD thing, but to make movies like this in the attempt to garner awards feels a little selfish to me. In many ways, that negates the tragedy of the events in the movie itself. What I care most about when seeing ANY movie is whether or not I was entertained. In the case of Valkyrie, it was just plain average.
GRADE: C