Well finally a WWII film about something other than the holocaust. I mean really, Darfur called...

Anyhow, I do love a good Nazi flick and Tom Cruise playing a Nazi is almost as intriguing and perhaps comedic as The History of the World" Part I & II. Perhaps it'll inspire a cult following or drinking game?

I would LOVE to see a movie that over dramatizes American History in a heroic light. I mean hey, if we can glorify Roman, English, French and just about everyone else's history, why not our own? I would love to see George Washington in a powdered wig dropping cannons on the British that look like they we're produced by a small atomic blast!

Anyway, enough of the rant. I love Tom Cruises' acting, it's certainly one of the most palatable the U.S. has to offer. Who else can defeat the Nazi's with one eye?

I'm well aware that it's very stylish today to hang on every word uttered by so-called celebrities as if they were the final authority on all things. I however have to point out that besides being famous for acting; that is speaking lines of dialogue written by other men, they are fallible. A case in point is the latest move by Mr Tom Cruise; "Valkyrie". No matter how much lipstick Hollywood would like to put on the pig, the men portrayed here are not to be admired. To portray Claus Von Stauffenberg and his ilk as some kind of here couldn't be further from the truth. These men weren't common or garden variety men off the street who were down and out and so were conscripted into the army and so were forced or cajoled into carrying out NAZI policy. They were the German nobility, the so-called elite of the country. The cream of society. These men and their like could have stopped Hitler and his henchmen at any time from 1925 on. They had all read "Mein Kampf". They were well aware of his monsterous plans. They chose instead to take their place at the table and partake in the feast. They joined the NAZI party in order to reep the benefits of membership. They knew of the "Camps" They were aware that the hospitals, asylums and institutions were being emptied and the inmates shipped off to internment camps. The blind, the lame, the deaf and the mentally ill were considered "Unter Mensch" along with the Jews, Gypsies and anyone else the regime didn't like. These people were not considered to have the right to live in the Third Reich. The new German utopia. Instead they were raped, tortured, murdered and used in the most horrendous medical experiments by animals like Mengele all with the tacit approval of these noble elite. They filled their mansions with the looted artwork and antiques of their victims and all of europe. As long as they were on the winning side they could claim that they were "Just Following Orders!" When it became obvious that Germany was in danger of losing the war, like rats they started to desert the sinking ship.They thought that their plot would cut them some slack with the allies and get them a better deal after the war. Thoughts of their victims, those millions were the last thing on their minds. Their own skins were their uppermost concern. They had backed the wrong horse in this race and now were in a panic. These men weren't heros; at best they were opportunists and cowards, and now their chickens had come home to roost. Their sudden attack of conscience came a little late for their millions of innocent victims who had died in the most horrendous manner. To make a movie which lionizes them and makes them out to be heroic does a grave disservice to the tortured souls of their victims who cry out for justice. Once again we're ignoring their cries and pardoning the unpardonable. I agree with the universal cry of Never Again. It may be time we started teaching our children the truth about what happened instead of relying solely on some script writer in Hollywood to di it for us.
Bruce Vallance

I am very anxious to view this movie, "Valkyrie"
starring Tom Cruise. Since I have previously
resided in the Stuttgart, Germany area, I have
spoken with the son of German military WWII leader
Fieldmarshal Erwin Rommel concerning the death of
his father. Fieldmarshal Rommel was killed due
to Hitler's belief that he was involved in the
conspiracy to kill the Fuehrer. However, the
son of Fieldmarshal Rommel clearly stated that
this conspiracy belief is not true, not a fact.
There are different theories about the connection
of Stuttgarter Claus Von Stauffenberg and Field-
marhal Erwin Ronmmel, the "Desert Fox". Does
the movie, "Valkyrie", mention any connection
between Von Stauffenberg and the Fieldmarshal?

Don,
Your communications with Rommel's son sound absolutely fascinating and incredibly timely.

The movie makes no mention of such a connection, however. As I mentioned in the review, the movie is only interested in Stauffenberg's actions to the extent that they make a good thriller.

Please enlighten us further, if you wish, about your conversations with Rommel's son!
mk

Bruce Vallance is being way too harsh.
The men WERE heroes-they died trying to stop a monster.
WHEN they tried is irrelevant.
If they had succeeded and saved millions of people the next year of war, Vallance would call them heroes, I suspect...

Germany itslef, THE final decider of who of their own should be called heroes, singled out these men-and no others of the German army-as heroes.

Let us leave that decision to the German people.

I beg to differ with Amalgamate. I doubt very much if success would have made much difference to the inmates of the camps. At best, it would just have given them time during negotiations to cover their crimes and absolve themselves of all guilt. As for who gets to judge them; When was the last time you heard of murderers being judged by those who benefited from their crimes? And no, I would not consider them as heroes any more than I would consider Charles Manson a hero if he had decided to stop after only three or four murders.

Bruce V is correct i believe in his statemets about the soldiers involved. My issues is that they could have acted in late 1941 when Hitler decided to invade Russia. It was well known at the time that this was the fatal decision of the war for the Germans. This led to their ultimate downfall no matter what the Americans did at Normandy.

Bruce is cool

Von Stauffenberg was a true global hero.

One has to understand the perniciousness of the all pervasive Nazi State to understand how impossible a situation the 'Widerstand' faced.

imagine Mao's China, Stalin's Russia and Kim Il Sung's (kim Jong Il) North Korea combined as a highly efficient police state / religious cult / war machine ... bent on pure murder.

That was Nazi Germany.

That there were people in Germany who attempted over 40 attempts on Hitler's life between 1933-1944, and that of all of them ONLY Von Stauffenberg's even came remotely close to actually killing Hitler is a testament to the man, a Prussian trained officer who was as were many in the Wehrmacht, anti-Nazi.

People make the mistake of thinking that all Germans were Nazis. Only a percentage were, just as all Americans did not support Bush's false WMD claims and subsequent war in Iraq.

I am not sure that Cruise will be up to the part, as you have to actually experience suffering in your life to play a Stauffenberg or Boenhoeffer.

WSE shall see if the movie is real, or false.

regardless, there is a lesson that all human beings must take from this.

Personal sacrifice for the greater good is often without reward and met with torture and execution, but in the face of tyranny, as America's Founding Fathers said, it is truly honorable.

I am German myself and let me tell you what Mr. Bruce Vallance is writing here is a far cry from the truth. Stauffenberg was a man of honor and he never, at no time(!!!) supported any type of ethnic cleansing. He was deeply troubled by the fact that the germans lost WWI and the aristocracy had lost its power and influence. It is true that he believed in the beginning that Hitler would renew Germany and take it back to the strong position it had before WWI. Why do you think that People supported Hitler?? Surely not because they wanted a crazy war and a holocaust!! Stauffenberg, just like Rommel, was a soldier from head to toe. He believed in honor and he would never let himself down to the level of SS-butchers who killed without mercy. When Stauffenberg realized what crimes are happening in the name of Germany, he decided to act. Why do think that a cenotaph in Berlin is dedicated to Stauffenberg? It is guarded by Soldiers at all times and all of Germany's elite is going there
and paying the honors to those men! You are a liar and your comments are deeply anti-german. You are probably one of those americans who think that People like General Custer are American heroes because they saved your country from those hostile and vicious indians. You know nothing of Germany's history and you have no right to spit in the face of my nation!

Ignore the silly comments of some critics who want this movie to fail. Schickel, Ebert and the L.A. Times got it right. If you're a World War II history buff like me, you'll appreciate the fine effort that is Valkyrie. It shows that American filmmakers as unlikely as Tom Cruise and Bryan Singer can compete with the likes of the Downfall creators in handling such subject matter. Like World War II itself, the full story of the July 20 plot is long and intricate and cannot be fully told in the confines of a two hour feature film. There are certainly many peripherals to the story - its tentacles ran deep into the Nazi diaspora; thousands were executed or "disappeared" (including Irwin Rommel who was not portrayed in the film) - to say nothing of the mixed motives in those Germans wishing to see Hitler dead. These are all subjects that have already been explored and no doubt will be again in the future. Suffice to say, Singer and editor/composer John Ottman focused on the heart of this story: Hitler was destroying Germany/Europe and the July 20 plotters bucked the odds to stop him. The performances from this exceptional cast are first rate. Think what you want about Tom Cruise and Scientology - I'm no big fan of either - but judge the work on its merits. Cruise may not win an Oscar for his portrayal of von Stauffenberg, but he more than gets the job done. In terms of scope, the locations, battle scenes, costumes/uniforms, staging/settings, you can't ask for more in a WWII movie. There's nothing fake, nothing phony to spoil the period experience and vfx are seamless as they should be. If you're expecting a formula Hollywood thriller a la Bourne or M.I., you may be disappointed, but as a serious adult drama Valkyrie delivers the goods. It took some balls to make this movie and UA has earned its kudos.

Valkyrie according to me is the best movie taht i will rate alongside the great movies like The Great Escape , Saving Private Ryan , but just one step down than these.

Since its a known story that Hitler escaped, But the cast simply have put an amazing effort in bringing the feel of the movie. That too , the man killing the mosquito with a cigar.. whoa!! Historically accurate and suspense built up extremely well..

Its not about the movie ratings are based on the popularity of an actor. Judge by the potential in which they made this effort.. Who else could a coup like this other than Tom Cruise at present in Hollywood.. He has that instinct in him which he was very successful bringing in Mission Impossible series.

VALKYRIE deserves 8/10 atleast if you are giving 9/10 for a comic movie (The Great Dark Knight and other comic movies)

Most would consider this movie about the war against Germany. Other than the opening scene, there is little fighting, which most would be looking for in a movie classified as a war film. It is a thriller. The purpose of the movie was to entertain. It was a great film. It is a bonus to those who know little about the history of the world that the plot was based on facts regarding the July 20th attempt to assassinate Hitler. The performances were excellent and as someone who loves to watch movies from all eras and genres, Tom Cruise did a fabulous job keeping the audience at the edge of their seats.

Very well written film review.

to Asmodean;
Contrary to what you may think, I don't think all Germans were NAZIs. They happened to be in the unfortunate position of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I never said that all Germans were NAZIs and if that is the impression you got, then I apologize. These people were caught up in something that they had no control over, and by the time they realized what was happening, it was far too late. They could trust no one. Neither neighbors, friends and in a lot of cases even family. They were as much victims as the camp inmates. They were powerless, but the Von Stauffenbergs were not. As for Custer, he was an arrogant self righteous idiot who led an entire regimentof good men to their deaths because of his stupidity and the racism of his times. Germany has had many great men, past present and I'm sure in the future. I loved Germany when I was there; The art, the architecture, the great literature and it's great history. You have much to be proud of. I just don't think it is these men.
Bruce

Amazing performance, it's thrilling. I was shaking through the whole movie. I would defiantly see it again.

I thought the first half did not capture my attention and was rather slow. It lacked suspense for the majority of the movie but the last thirty minutes were rather captivating. Overall it was decent but I expected it to be way better.

@asmodean

I'm German, too - please don't get that angry at people criticizing your heroes. As any human being, Stauffenberg probably wasn't the god-like prussian hero he's made out to be by some historians. On the other hand, I am sure that there were good people who where fooled by nazi ideology, Stauffenberg might well have been one of them. It is cheap to portray them all as monsters. Unfortunately, too many didn't have the character to act when they saw through the propaganda, and those who did acted too late. It is a fact though that many millions of people died in the last few months of the war and that Hitler was central to the German war effort. There was no "acceptable" vice Fuehrer... Of course, the best would have been if a large share of the German people never had sympathized with a profundly inhuman worldview in the first place...
But these are difficult questions. Maybe I should just watch that movie first - i'll do it tonight.

My 2 cents about the German government at first not allowing the film to be shot in the original place: ridiculous! But I have to add - in the end they did allow it... At least. Still embarassing, though.

This comment is for Mark Keizer the commentator from Box office.

To me it looks like you wrote your arrogant staement about the movie, Singer and Tom Cruise, but never watched the movie.

One can clearly see that you are following a hidden agenda, which is clearly to discredit Tom Cruise.

And the way you write is almost the same way the NAZI's did, when they were spreding out their venom to the german people.

Shame on you!

This movie was great. I enjoyed the pace, style and feel of the time period. All the actors like Cruise, Branagh, and others did a nice job, not too mention the director.

It seems that movie critics are the flawed, as they give their biased opinion and based on what authority? This Mr. Keizer above seems to mix up his his own personal prejudices with his work.

I saw the movie and liked it. Sergiog - completely agree. Outside of the US it is a widely accepted historical fact that the Soviet Union defeated Germany. The American involvement comes way too late in the war, and is on a much more limited scale. The main reason the US gets into Europe is that they are trying to provide a counterweight to the Soviet Union. Before it is clear that Germany will be defeated the US is standing by waiting for a geopolitical opportunity, while millions of people are dying.