Sometimes even good men fail against evil
Image Courtesy of IMPawards.com
Director: Bryan Singer
Notable Cast: Tom Cruise, Tom Wilkinson, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Terrence Stamp, Eddie Izzard
One of the many things about World War II that is never taught is that as the defeat of the Axis powers was imminent, end, Nazi Germany turned against Hitler. Failing to kill the man almost twenty times, Hitler’s fate would be sealed in a bunker by his own hands, but the plot that came the closest to killing the dictator would be the July 20th plot. 200 dead by an executioner’s hand afterwards, including one of the leaders of the German resistance movement in Claus von Stauffenberg, would leave Hitler still in power but with the end of his regime in sight. Valkyrie is the story of those men.
Tom Cruise, who eerily looks like Stauffenberg, portrays the iconic German war hero who’s stuck with a crisis of conscience. Wanting to serve his country, but dead set against Hitler and his violence, he finds his resolve when he loses an eye and a hand in the African campaign. Coming back to Berlin with a promotion and an eye patch, he gets recruited into the German Resistance with a resolve to eliminate Hitler and end the war peacefully. While we know that they end up failing, each of the men dead after its resolution, Bryan Singer develops a film about good men confronting evil out of the situation.
Tracking the plot from its execution, to its first aborted launch, Singer regains the sort of form he had in his earlier work by crafting the film around men who are trying to do what is right. This is about men who have resolved themselves to try and do something right with their lives in a country where wrong is being rewarded and encouraged; they know the consequences of their actions will wind up with their deaths, as that’s the penalty for high treason, but the risk is worth it for them. Singer’s film is about doing what is good, not what is convenient, and that is what it is for these men. It’s something they know will wind up with their deaths if they fail, but they press on because it’s what is right.
He keeps the thrills on pace, as this is a terse thriller that is engrossing. While the history has been written, Singer keeps his foot on the throttle by keeping the film from relaxing at any point in terms of intensity and structure. This is a thriller of the highest order with a script to match. It’s more of a director’s film than an actor’s film as this isn’t a film that will garner any awards for it’s acting, but is more of a showcase for Singer’s ability.
That’s not to say that this is a film with bad acting. Singer has a top flight cast of mainly character actors, with Cruise being its true significant lead actor, and it’s a case where having plenty of secondary players elevates everyone’s abilities. No one stands out, unfortunately, but everyone contributes as needed. There are no underused or cameo appearances, as a deep cast like this is used significantly as there were many parts of the plot.
It may not be The Usual Suspects, but Bryan Singer has crafted a thriller on par with it. Valkyrie is a film not to be missed.
