Valkyrie Review {Shell}

“We have to show the world that not all of us are like him. Otherwise, this will always be Hitler's Germany.” Major-Colonel Henning von Tresckow says, staring straight into the eye of Tom Cruise’s character, Colonel Staufenberg. They must protect sacred Germany, not the corrupt country that Hitler is turning it into.


Valkyrie (PG-13), a 2008 film finally released after months of discretion, displays the classic plot of betrayal for the greater good. Director Bryan Singer and writer Christopher McQuarrie display the conspiracy story of one of the fifteen attempts on Hitler’s life during World War II. Colonel Staufenberg and a group of other politicians and military officials see what injustice is being done by Hitler during the war and they make a move to stop it.

In the thrilling idea of Valkyrie takes you through World War II in the eyes of the German military that decides to take action against Hitler. The issue with this movie, however, was that they did fully accomplish turning this idea into reality. Without stunning action scenes, compelling romance, and character development, this inspiration has hit the floor. What’s more, all the characters are very stoic, unemotional, and impassionate. They speak with one tone throughout the entire movie, their eyes fixed straight ahead as they emotionlessly deploy their plan. Their movements are controlled; their eyes blank. There is no feeling, nothing to keep you engaged and attached to the characters. The actual plan also confuses the view if they do not have a sense of what is historically going on. Also, the actors are not German, which made me think that Tom Cruise was playing the American spy trying to get to Hitler by the American government. If it were in German perhaps, or if they were actually German, it would have been a lot more believable. The music, though, I will say, helps throughout the movie to create suspense and, in confusion, clarify whether an event is “good or bad”.

Overall, the movie was poorly done. A true story turned into a robotic acting mess that confuses the reader and leaves them with nothing but an empty feeling at the end. The IDEA, was good, as I have said before, but Singer seems to have taken this brilliant conspiracy idea and turned it into something I do not recommend watching.