Valkyrie

Based on the true story of ‘Operation Valkyrie’, the failed attempt on Hitler’s life by his own officers, led by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise), Valkyrie follows the conspirators as they attempt to save Germany from what the aristocratic Stauffenberg sees as its corruption by the Nazi party. The plotters painstakingly recruit powerful sympathisers within Hitler’s inner circle, trying desperately to keep their actions and intentions under wraps, but it’s no spoiler to reveal that their plan isn’t successful. That said, director Singer (The Usual Suspects) keeps the tension racked up throughout, and the aftermath of the assassination attempt is both taut and thrilling.

Though Cruise was a controversial choice to play Stauffenberg, a man regarded by some Germans as a national hero, his performance is as conflicted and measured as it is dynamic. The supporting cast includes a wealth of British actors, including Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp, Kevin MacNally and a surprisingly good turn from Eddie Izzard, whose ‘serious acting’ career goes from strength to strength. Though very few German accents are present, the performances are believable and mostly superb, and the weight of the cast makes this an ensemble drama rather than a Cruise vehicle.

Though it occasionally suffers from a conflict of genres, with neither the absolute painstaking detail of a historical drama nor the blood-and-guts action of a war movie, Valkyrie does not skimp on either of these counts. The plot is packed with historical interest, enough to make any amateur history student want to find out more, and the battle sequences are visually spectacular and enthralling. Despite being neither one thing nor the other, Valkyrie is a tense and meticulously crafted thriller, and a must see.

Marcus Kelly