Valkyrie

Valkyrie (2008)
Directed by Bryan Singer
Length: 121 minutes
Rated PG-13 for violence and brief strong lanuage

In the film industry, the recipe for Oscar success usually involves a three-hour long epic centering on the Holocaust or some struggle involving the Jewish people during WWII. Don’t believe me? Just see Kate Winslet’s comedic bit about the Oscars and the Holocaust (by the way, guess who won for staring in a movie about a German concentration camp prison guard?). Don’t get me wrong, for every Schindler’s List, there are plenty of Pearl Harbor’s out there (yeah, I know, doesn’t concern the Holocaust, but you get my point; WWII isn’t sacred in terms of film). Every once in a while comes a film like Valkyrie…big name cast, popular director, but an average movie that ultimately fails to deliver on many fronts.

Valkyrie concentrates on a subject seldom if not ever touched upon by the film industry. Though Adolph Hitler ruled Germany using fear and delusions, some of Germany’s bravest dared to oppose the man who forever will live in infamy for his campaign of fear and hate. Led by the bravest of all the martyrs Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, played by Tom Cruise (Motorcade, Tropic Thunder), these men attempted to assassinate Hitler and bring Germany back to their former glory. Though the men obviously failed, their numerous attempts to eliminate Hitler illustrated that the German people did not simply accept the propaganda as truth as some may believe.

Led by the talented director Singer, I expected a very good movie. Singer, famous for his success with The Usual Suspects as well as for his failures with Superman Returns attempts to create an entertaining movie; while I understand the film never attempts to achieve “Oscar” status, I expect better from a director and actor with such “good” track records. Though Tom Cruise may be more famous for his more recent actions and outburst, he has the track record as an excellent actor, staring in some of the best films of the last two decades (if you need proof PLEASE see Born on the Fourth of July and Magnolia). However, everything in this film fails to really deliver any substance. Though never boring or particularly bad, Valkyrie constantly falls short of achieving that “good” movie status, instead settling for mediocrity at almost every level.

From the initial previews, I was appalled that a movie centering on German soldiers features NO German accents. Though the movie explains this fact by “translating” the film into the English language (i.e. accent included), I found myself distracted by the hodgepodge of dialects amongst the cast—American, English, a bit of German, etc. In the opening credits you hear Cruise’s German accent, and I’ll admit it isn’t bad. Is it that hard to expect a German accent in a movie based in Germany? Beyond this minor complaint, the acting is average at best. Everyone seems stiff and posed; I expect men planning to kill one of the most infamous dictators ever to be a bit more on edge or unstable. Instead, the plotters of Hitler’s assassination seem calm, cool, and collected as they try to steal the government from Hitler’s grasp.

Even with bad to average acting, good action or plot development can help make an average movie better. Unfortunately, this film defines the norm and fails to even deliver one decent explosion or memorable scene. A film filled with such secrecy should deliver the thrills or a sense of “being on edge;” in the case of Valkyrie, you remain like the actors throughout: calm, cool, and collected.

Singer’s latest effort is by no means a terrible movie. However, by no means is it a good movie either. It’s hard to compare one average (i.e. three star rating) movie to another, and indeed one rating for one movie doesn’t necessary apply to another. Case in point, my recent review for Revolutionary Road ended with a 3 out of 5 rating. However, I would have no problems saying that it is a vastly superior film, as well as a very good movie. If there had been a few different elements, it could have very well have been a four star movie. In addition, Revolutionary Road is one of those movies that no two persons’ opinion about the movie will be the same. With Valkyrie, you know exactly what you are getting: a very average movie that fails to deliver on higher expectations but is worth seeing at least for some entertainment value. Ultimately, however, be prepared to be unsatisfied by an utterly middle of the road production.

Final Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Favorite Quote: Just not one of those movies...as I said, just kind of a forgettable movie.