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I was convinced that I would be hung up about Tom Cruise’s
voice in “Valkyrie,” that it would be a situation similar
to Kevin Costner’s accent-less portrayal of Robin Hood.
Having now seen the film, I’ve gotten over it. Director
Bryan Singer actually addresses the issue within the first
thirty seconds of the film, having Cruise’s character speak
in German before letting his dialogue fade to English. ***
Because the language has been openly altered for English-speaking
audiences, I guess it doesn’t matter whether or not the
actors fake an accent, German or otherwise. That coupled
with the fact that the story is engaging allowed me to enjoy
the film. That being said, I’m not so naïve as to think
that “Valkyrie” is thorough or historically accurate; it’s
above all a political thriller, and as such, its goal is
to entertain more than it is to inform. ***
“Valkyrie” dramatizes the true story of the German
Resistance and their failed attempt to assassinate Adolf
Hitler on July 20, 1944. Cruise gives a decent but hardly
outstanding performance as Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg,
a colonel for the German Army who oversees the plot. The
film portrays him as a humanist who understood his role
as a colonel but recognized that terrible things were happening
to innocent people. ***
This was probably true, although there’s no mention
of the fact that the real Stauffenberg began his career
as a loyal supporter of the Nazi Party and their cause.
His epiphany would have been a wonderful dramatic moment,
but alas, such a scene is spared on the audience. What we
are not spared is an attack on German forces in Tunisia,
one that results in Stauffenberg losing his left eye, his
right hand, and two of his left fingers. ***
Back in Germany, Major General Henning von Tresckow
(Kenneth Branagh) sees Hitler and his closest political
aides off on a plane with an alcohol bottle rigged to an
explosive. It fails to detonate. Tresckow and General Friedrich
Olbricht (Bill Nighy) then bring Stauffenberg back to Berlin
to join their resistance movement, which includes Dr. Carl
Friedrich Goerdeler (Kevin McNally), Erwin von Witzleben
(David Schofield), and General Ludwig Beck (Terence Stamp).
***
Their new plan: Stage a military coup using Operation
Valkyrie, a plan personally approved by Hitler as a means
for the Reserve Army to maintain order in the event of his
death. To make sure things run smoothly, Operation Valkyrie
is amended to exclude certain untrustworthy factors. After
Hitler (David Bamber) signs the new plan, Stauffenberg and
Olbricht recruit General Friedrich Fromm (Tom Wilkinson),
the head of the Reserve Army. ***
And this is where I’ll stop describing the plot. Just
remember one of Terence Stamp’s lines: “It’s a military
operation. Nothing ever goes according to plan.” It’s a
wonderfully ominous piece of dialogue, although I’d be lying
if I said that it wasn’t expected. While “Valkyrie” is successful
in its attempts to keep an audience hooked, it doesn’t transcend
anything we’ve seen from a variety of other political thrillers.
***
This is disappointing considering the fact that this
story has never been told before. I hate to expose my ignorance,
especially in a movie review, but the truth is that I had
no idea that Germany even had a resistance movement during
World War II. Now that I know, I find myself wondering what
wasn’t said in the film, what was glossed over for the sake
of appealing to a mass audience. ***
But I have to face the facts—what the film lacks in
compelling historical detail it makes up for in entertainment.
This includes Cruise’s performance, bland American accent
and all. There was concern that he would tarnish Stauffenberg’s
reputation due to his belief in Scientology, which German
authorities do not approve of. Knowing virtually nothing
of the real Colonel von Stauffenberg, I can’t say whether
or not such a thing has happened. ***
{Blu-ray} Segments:(Taylor Carlson)
Valkyrie is the kind of movie that was shot with an
"aged" look to reflect the fact that it is set in the past.
Because of this, the movie was shot on film, and not surprisingly,
it lacks the depth and fine object detail of other recent
releases. This Blu-Ray features a competent transfer and
is certainly an improvement over the DVD. Grain is present
in nearly every shot but is ever distracting or a problem.
The image may not be as detailed as some viewers want it
to be, but there's more good points about this transfer
than bad. All in all, Valkyrie looks and sounds very good
in 1080p, just don't expect the best Blu-Ray transfer you've
ever seen. ***
The Image Quality may have been average at best amongst
other recent Blu-Ray releases, but the lossless audio track
on this disc is to die for. As a war movie, there are plenty
of moments this transfer is given a chance to shine, and
when the action picks up, your speakers will be getting
an intense workout. In the simplest terms possible, this
is reference quality audio.
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