The German job

I would have had this review up last night, but I chose to instead also see the midnight showing of Watchmen, so look for that review up later today. But for now, our next review is of Tom Cruise's latest, Valkyrie.

I had a hard time figuring out what to expect with this film. Originally set to open last July, it went through a number of release dates before settling on last December, a time that didn't seem to fit with the tone of the movie. Then despite that, and despite Cruise really, the movie ended up doing fairly well at the box office.

Valkyrie marks director Bryan Singer's first film since his overbloated, boring Superman Returns. Thankfully, this is a better effort although still not a great film. The plot centers around General Claus Stauffenberg (Cruise) and several other German officers devising a plan to kill Hitler. Unhappy with the way Hitler was running things, Stauffenberg and company planned to kill Hitler and then fake a coup in order to stage their own coup.

While the basic events are based on one of the several attempts at Hitler's life, the movie plays like a true Hollywood film. The film lacks the authentic feel to create a sense that you're watching history unfold before your very eyes. From the dramatic soundtrack to Cruise's cartoonish eyepatch, the film is more Indiana Jones than History Channel documentary.

Clearly, the filmmakers were more concerned with making a good movie than trying to thrust the audience into 1940s Germany. This is perhaps best evidenced by the decent supporting cast that the film boasts. Valkyrie includes great actors like Tom Wilkenson, Bill Nighy, and Kenneth Brannagh, yet none of them, nor Cruise, speak with a German accent, let alone actual German. If Hitler were not the target, this film could have easily taken place in any other country around the world.

Now while I'm quick to criticize the film for lacking authenticity, I cannot aruge that it does do a good job of creating drama and tension. Every attempt that this crew makes to off Hitler comes off well and would be really suspenseful if you didn't know how it ended. I knew the events and still found myself on the edge of my seat a few times.

The film takes a while to get going as we're introduced to a bevy of characters that were at times difficult to keep straight. But once we get into the actual assassination attempts, things pick up nicely. It's a shame the aftermath of their actions wasn't longer or more interesting in real life, because I felt the film could have used a bigger ending.

One wonders, though, why a film about this was even made. It's not like this was the only attempt to kill Hitler (although it was the last). You could make some crude comparisons between Hitler and Bush and the idea of standing up against power for what you believe is right. But they aren't fleshed out enough to make it a worthy consideration.

Given the way the film plays out, I almost wished they would have just created a fictional story of about a Hitler assassination. If the producers want a Hollywood war movie, why restrain yourself with historical facts. You just box yourself into a corner doing that.

The bottom line here is that the movie is entertaining. It has enough action and drama to keep anyone entertained. And if you haven't seen many World War II films or aren't real familiar with the events, then the film's historical accuracy won't be a big problem. If you're looking for something with a little bit more meaning, then you may want to pass on this one. Valkyrie is nothing more than the fast food equivalent of a history lesson. Grade: B