Valkerie

Perhaps if Tom Cruise was not in this it would be a different movie. Maybe if it was not from Christopher McQuarrie and Brian Singer, this would be a different movie. It is possible that Valkyrie could be a 2 hour and 45 minute dramatic character study ready for Oscars. There is no way to know because what we got was a movie written by Christopher McQuarrie, directed by Brian Singer and starring Tom Cruise. Those three individually do not really do dramatic character studies. Those three individually do tight, intense thrillers. Therefore, the hypothetical Valkyrie does not exist. We do not get a movie where actors spent months learning German accents and we did not hear any stories of the lead spending extra time wearing the eye patch to stay in character. That Valkyrie would have long sustained shots and would probably not have Eddie Izzard in a supporting role. This Valkyrie does not have German accents, at all. This Valkyrie does have Eddie Izzard in a supporting role. If you wanted or were expecting something else, well, that is on you. You knew the players going in. You know who Tom Cruise is and what he does on screen. If you can accept that, well good for you.

When the movie ends we are told that 21 attempts were made on Adolf Hitler's life by other Germans. This movie is about one such attempt. We know it was not successful because, if it was, this would not be the first I had heard of this story. If this group of men had been able to kill Hitler and take over Germany, like they had planned, I would have known all of the names of the players. I did not therefore, you know right off the bat this story will ultimately end badly and because Hitler is involved, you know this story is going to end in a lot of death. That is the risk these men were willing to take. These men, portrayed by Tom Cruise, Eddie Izzard, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy and Terrance Stamp knew the risk but they hated Hitler and they had to "show the world that not all of us are like him. Otherwise, this will always be Hitler's Germany." Hitler had a reserve army for the intended use of keeping everything in check should he die, or should Berlin be taken over. Stauffenburg(Cruise) comes up with a plan that will use Hitler's reserve army against him. Stauffenberg will bomb Hitler, then with their team in place, will blame it on Hitler's people and the reserve army will arrest all of Hitler's allies and the "secret Germany" will take over. It seems like the perfect plan, but we know it is not perfect, even in the movie it is said "Just remember: nothing ever goes according to plan."

Tightly paced, brilliantly directed and awesomely written, Valkyrie is two times the movie I would have expected it to be. I knew Brian Singer still had it in him to direct something good, but I worried that Superman Returns had ruined him. He did not disappoint here. He has paced this movie so that it is so quick, even the scenes where a group of people are just sitting around talking seem intense. When we know the failure going in, finding a way to make it still intense enough for us to care, is no easy feat and Singer pulls it off nicely. I was on the edge of my seat as they carried out their plans. First the time they did not get the bomb off and especially the time they did get the bomb off. Who knew walking could look so intense. Having a very intense, timpani heavy score sure helped as well. Every time things were heating up, the percussion hit like my heart beat trying to break free from my chest to beat for these men who gave their lives trying to make something right in the world. Singer and McQuarrie made killing Hitler an absolute. People wanted to find a way to impeach him, but it is obvious killing him is the only way to accomplish changing Germany.

Christoper McQuarrie who has given this world such quotes as "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. And like that, poof. He's gone" and "I'd never ask you to trust me. It's the cry of a guilty soul." offers us a few more gems such as "When the S.S. catch you, they will pull you apart like warm bread" and my personal favorite for some reason "What makes you think you're stronger than the very momentum of history?" Now, I have no idea how accurate the story is, but McQuarrie certainly used his words wisely and constructed not only a tight script but a script that has some humor and intelligence to it. I find it amazing that this guy does not write more, or maybe he just needs this much time to get his scripts just perfect, because in my book he has 3 gems and that is not an easy feat.

As for the acting, it is all solid. Every one in the movie does what they are supposed to do, I only wish there had been more for Kenneth Branagh to do because I liked what he was doing. The lack of German accents from the cast did not bother me, because no one had it. No one was trying and failing or trying and succeeding. It was an adjustment right at first, but I got over it quickly and focused on the task at hand. Bill Nighy as a kind of wannabe leader was probably my favorite, but Terrance Stamp and Tom Wilkinson added some grace and brevity to the proceedings. Eddie Izzard pulled off being very fidgety about the whole thing very well and he is memorable even if he is not in the movie much. Then there is Mr. Tom Cruise. Early in his career Cruise made a living playing characters who stay cool under pressure. How much more pressured does it get than trying to kill Hitler. With his voice always at an intense low roar and his stoic facial expression Cruise is the final piece of this glorious puzzle. He does an excellent job portraying a man who knows what has to be done and is willing to sacrifice it all to do it.

Valkyrie is not perfect. It features a lot of players and at times they got lost in the shuffle of the pacing and when they all come back at the end, it is tough to remember who was who and what part they played, but that is minor considering the tight pacing is what kept the movie afloat when we knew how the story would end. As thrillers go this was top notch, which should have been expected of the two guys who created The Usual Suspects, my all time favorite thriller and my all time favorite movie. I am sorry I ever doubted Brian Singer and Valkyrie makes up for Superman Returns in spades.

Final Grade: A-