A reivew of Valkyrie

So my husband and I went out with another couple last weekend. And they said we were going to see Valkyrie with Tom Cruise. At first I thought that Tom Cruise had finally crossed over and was starring in the Wagner opera (as Brunhilda, I hoped!). But no. This was a WWII movie about a German hero -- most of us had never heard of.

As I sat sulking in the darkening theater, I thought of all the times that Tom Cruise had disappointed me in the past. Oh sure, I had loved him in Taps and Risky Business. But then somehow, inexplicably, he got worse. And worse. And worse! Top Gun was okay, I guess. But then came Rain man, Minority Report, Last Samurai and Mission Impossible -- times three! Each movie showcased Cruise as a worse actor than the previous one. Somewhere along the line someone told Mr. Cruise that he is a good actor, and we (the viewing public) have been paying the price ever since.

Cruise seems to have studied at the "Al Pacino house of acting" because he shows emotion by yelling. Thank you, Al. His face remains a blank while he yells at top level to show he's angry, upset, or in love, "My crew is dead!!!!!" and "Just look at me! Eyes on me!!!" Hey, Tom, I've got four words for you, "Show me the acting!!!"

However. I found that in Valkyrie I was not bothered by Cruise in the slightest. I don't know if it was the eye patch (cover half his face and you only get half as much bad acting), the great cast, or perhaps director Bryan Singer is a bit of a magician, but Tom Cruise was pretty good in this movie.

The story is from history -- our darkest history, World War II, and interestingly enough it is about an assassination attempt on Hitler by his own people. Now having taken history in high school, I knew that there had been attempts made on Hitler's life. But I never really took it all that seriously. To see this film, and to understand how very many high ranking Germans wanted him out, and how they suffered over what was happening to their country -- well, I'm convinced. I'm a little surprised that Germany didn't make this film, oh, about 62 years ago. They sure could have used the PR.

Cruise is surrounded by excellent acting on every side. Kenneth Branagh is the officer who recruits him, Eddie Izzard, the reluctant accomplice, and Tom Wilkinson is the flip-flopping superior. All these men manage to make German Nazi officers seem interesting, intelligent, and even sympathetic. Yes, they were the good guys! And we were rooting for them.

It did bother me just a bit that everyone in the film has a British accent, EXCEPT Cruise. Even the little children were running around, "Excuse me mumsy, would you be so kind..." But the story line is extremely compelling and the Singer does a very good job of keeping the suspense building. I knew, of course, how it would end ... yet I was on the edge of my seat wondering. Who knows, maybe this time they get Hitler?

There was a lot of filming done on location in Germany. And I have to say the cinematography should get top billing. The scenes of Germany were beautiful. The cobblestone streets, the rides through the country. Even the shots of the old time planes were beautiful and poignant.

Overall I would have to give this movie two eye patches up. Go and see it. Take your kids. The script is smart, the costuming was authentic, the acting very good. I recommend it. You will enjoy the movie and it will give you all something to talk about. And I guarantee you won't be talking about how bad Tom Cruise was -- for a change!