Valkyrie
Written by: Christopher McQuarrie & Nathan Alexander
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Starring: Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Carice van Houten, Thomas Kretschmann, Terence Stamp, and Eddie Izzard
It's interesting to think about the effect that hype has on a person's enjoyment of a film. It seems to have gotten almost to the point of making one question their own feelings. Did I like this film because it was reviewed so poorly? Did that lower my expectations? Would my feelings toward the film be different if it had been reviewed more positively? I've mentioned that phenomena before in my reviews and again, it just might be in play with Valkyrie. At some point, as a critic, you just need to let go of the hype and admit to yourself that no mater what the general consensus on a film turns out to be, yours may be different.
The consensus on Valkyrie is that it is a terrible, awful film.
I just so happen to disagree.
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Valkyrie is the story of a group of men who plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler in the hopes of saving their country. For me, it was an extremely interesting and at times tense film about a historical event I had never heard of before. Admittedly, my knowledge of World History is woefully lacking, and it is stories like the one presented here that makes me want to take another look at the past.
Sure, it's not perfect but I can't deny my enjoyment of the film. The performances were solid, although no German accents is a bit distracting at first but if you let that slide it isn't a big deal. The main cast is for the most part British and they all kept their accents intact for this. I don't know if that was a creative choice or what but there is some amazing actors in the group who I have no doubt could have pulled off the accent. Maybe it was Tom Cruise who put the kibosh on that?
That nitpick aside, there really isn't too much to complain about. The dialogue is a little weak at times and the plot seems a little thin. It made me think there was a lot of other events surrounding this that we didn't get to see. Beyond that the film for me was pretty suspenseful and entertaining. I wouldn't say edge of my seat but I was definitely captivated by what I was watching.
As far as special features go, the two-disc set is a tad light. There is a really interesting documentary of the actual events depicted in the film as well as a making of featurette. We also get two audio commentaries. Disc two is the now seemingly standard digital copy of the movie. This is something I really wish would go away. It's being used to jack up prices of DVDs and make them seem to be more of a value than they really are.
Overall, Valkyrie is an entertaining World War II drama that tells the story of some really brave individuals. While the film isn't a masterpiece, it is certainly not deserving of the negativity that seems to surround it.
Check it out for yourself. You'll enjoy it, despite your expectations.
Valkyrie is available on DVD and Blu-ray now.
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