VALKYRIE (2008) by Jeff

Directed By: Bryan Singer
Written By: Christopher McQuarrie & Nathan Alexander
Cinematography By: Newton Thomas Siegel
Editor: John Ottman

CAST: Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Terrence Stamp, Ian McNiece, Bill Nighy, Eddie Izzard, Bernard Hill, Carice Van Houten, Thomas Kretschmann, Tom Wilkinson



While this film is full of tension and suspense. I found it hard to stay fully interested the film feels very cold and while I usually like that it also felt false like I was watching a Hollywood production none of it felt too real even though it is based on a true story.

The film feels like Tom cruise trying to make a comeback and how could you not admire the world’s top action star taking on Hitler.

The film is not as bad as it was thought to be when it first came out. Thankfully the film picks up speed in the second hour. Then it becomes a tale of heroism and honor of course it doesn’t end happily almost like the comic book WHAT IF? Tales but it does make it’s point in showing a group taking a stand for what’s right even though they know the consequences are death.

The scenes tom cruise shares with his on-screen wife have no chemistry though his character thinks the world of her. It almost seems like he hated her. He had more chemistry with his Assistant in the film.

The film didn’t make me feel anything sitting through it I felt ambivalent about almost all the things that would be happening on screen. It’s not horrible but I really had to fight hard to pay attention to the film at least the first half. The second half of the film once the main plot gets started breezes by if only the rest of the film was like that.

The film was also held back with a PG-13 rating as it is technically a war film you can’t show but so much carnage.

The cast is good filled with character actors They are the ones responsible for making the film come alive with there performances especially Tom Willkinson,

The film is not a bad effort but I expected more not of tom cruise but at least of Director Bryan Singer who is back in his element in making a thriller maybe he is bogged down that this is a historical fact based story so he can only deviate but so far. The film definitely has style the substance should be exciting and grabbing but it comes off as like a minor tale cooked up and not given the full blown treatment it deserves and you would come to expect from a tom cruise film it almost feels small like a independent

It’s a satisfying rental, but I wouldn’t buy it

GRADE: C+