Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
3/4
Valkyrie review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 09/21/2012
Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise) together with General Ludwig Beck (Stamp), Dr. Carl Goerdeler (McNally), and Erwin von Witzleben (Schofield) plan the assasintion of Adolf Hitler. Cinematography, performances and direction were really good. The film however was not as entertaining since some parts were a bit dragging. Screenplay were noteworthy with lines ""Long live sacred Germany!" and "My duty as an officer is no longer to save my country, but to save human lives. I cannot find one general in a position to confront Hitler with the courage to do it." from Stauffenberg. Lacks some spark or emotional connection from the first half of the movie. Valkyrie's intent though was well exhibited with aims to topple dictatorship, loyalty, bravery and conspiracy.
Rating of
2/4
Missed Out On Being A Masterpiece, Or Even Good
JLFM - wrote on 04/18/2012
Adolf Hitler committed suicide April 30, 1945. Valkyrie is about a group of men who are plotting to assassinate Hitler. Due to the information I have just given to you, you now know that by the end of the movie, Hitler will still be alive. This is a bit of a problem for Valkyrie, but this film does a relatively good job of making you forget about this conclusion.
The A-list cast does a more-than-excellent job at acting, though the actual character development is extremely minimal for most characters.
Valkyrie does something very smart at the beginning of the movie. We understand that the characters are all speaking German, but they speak English anyway. This eliminates the need for silly German accents, and is much less distracting. There are times when this is contradicted …
Rating of
3/4
"Valkyrie" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 02/10/2012
Anyone who has seen The Desert Fox will be familiar with this story, but instead of concentrating on Rommel, it examines the role of Claus Von Stauffenberg in the plot to assassinate Hitler after many of his officers began to question not only his tactics but his sanity. The theme of the two films is actually very similar; to show that not all of the German military or its people were Nazis, and there were some who were willing to sacrifice their lives to try and stop him. For me the most interesting part of the film takes place after the bombing when a plan is implemented to take over Berlin and I had no idea how far it went into effect and how close it came to succeeding; I can't help but wonder how different the world would be now if Olbricht had shown a bit more backbone or the …
Rating of
3.5/4
Entertaining History Lesson!!
mdtinney - wrote on 06/10/2009
Yes, Tom Cruise is a bizarre choice to portray a one-handed, eye-patch-wearing dissenting Colonel in Hitler's army, but if he can be a vampire, a samurai, and a balding movie producer, why not a German officer? After a clever transition from subtitles to English, Valkyrie unfolds a mesmerizing story that succeeds in maintaining a constant suspense regardless of an ultimate outcome known to all. While perhaps not the best WWII movie to premiere this year, Valkyrie still supplies the thrills it promises and shouldn't be discarded simply for its unconventional casting. Based on the true story of the last plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Valkyrie follows the determined Colonel von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) as he joins forces with high-ranking dissenting officers Olbricht (Bill Nighy), Beck …
Rating of
2.5/4
Thriller with a cause
BryanFury - wrote on 02/14/2009
I’m really left baffled about this one because I didn't quite feel the story enough. Performances were definitely strong but I guess I wasn't really into it more than I liked to. Tom Cruise did what he could for the role and succeeded in his own right. A lot of people were somewhat troubled with the fact that the supposed Germans were speaking in American dialects. Tom Cruise was awesome using his German tongue in the beginning (not that I know of how to speak it) but then decided to go with his own native all throughout which I don’t complain. Yes it would have been nice if everyone speaks German to make it more authentic but then it would have made it a lot harder to witness every scene when you’re reading subtitles. The high note for me was probably the one and only scene I …
Rating of
3/4
A Killer Thriller... Even If You Know the Ending
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/04/2009
In the end, I think this movie works a lot better than a lot of people would like to admit. Tom Cruise is actually well-cast. The accents (or lack thereof) didn't bother me one bit. There are some tense moments, the supporting cast is fantastic and, while probably skimping some on accuracy, the story is interesting.
The best thing that Valkyrie manages is to keep things interesting. Everyone knows how this story is going to end, but even though we know what happens, the how of things keeps you locked into the film. While Tom Cruise would not be my first choice to play a German would-be hero, he pulls it off surprisingly well. He's helped by a strong supporting cast - a lot of British heavyweights, Bill Nighy, Kennth Branagh, Terence Stamp and Eddie Izzard all lend a hand in making …
