In recent days I have be awarded the opportunity to sit down in my basement with the lights turned off and the television’s volume turned up and watch the recent film Valkyrie. Before this opportunity arose to watch the film I had heard nothing but positive things from friends and popular critics so it is not over exaggerating to say I was excited and ready to see for myself what the film was like.
This film features a very capable cast including Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp, Eddie Izzard and Tom Wilkinson. The main character in the film is none other than Tom Cruise playing the role of Colonel Claus Von Stauffenberg. The plot of the film is actually an amazing true story of a very brave attempt to rid the world of one of the most evil people the world has ever known of, but the film seemed to lack the overall spine – tingling effect that comes from the execution of such a dangerous plan. Though some critics claim that the performance was one of Tom Cruise’s best performances to date I did not believe the movie was even on the same level as several other movies the very famous actor has taken part in.

The film is set in World War II Europe but has little to do with the actual fighting that so many soldiers that took part in. The film is greatly lacking action and almost allows the viewer to fall asleep due to the massive amounts of talking done in the film. Stauffenberg (Cruise) creates a brilliant plan to assassinate the leader of Germany returning the government to a diplomatic one ending the war in Europe and saving the remnants of Europe that still remain. By placing explosives in a briefcase and caring it to a meeting with Hitler Stauffenberg hopes to end the insane amounts of deaths that both sides of the war were facing at the time. Though the simple plan seems to be filled with action the actual plot of the film gives the impression of five minutes of action stretched into a two hour movie. This shows the film is greatly lacking in the area of action and allows the viewer to steadily loose interest in the film.

Due to the lack of action and the overall amount of confusion that the film can create in the viewer the film becomes a lower half film. Though the movie has all the necessary components to be a very good film, including a good cast and interesting plot, Valkyrie seems to have a hard time bringing the components together. Overall the film is not all terrible but is not a film that many people will go out and purchase for themselves at home. This film is most likely one that will remain of the large screens of movie theaters and eventually disappear.