Valkyrie

Starring: Tom Cruise and a Great Supporting Cast

by Joanna Orland

Poor Tom Cruise! The guy just can’t catch a break these days. Yes he’s cheesy. Yes, he’s clearly a lunatic. Yes he’s CHEESY!!!! But all was forgiven after his AMAZING appearance in Tropic Thunder. Props to Tom. But, now he has to bring out the acting chops in Valkyrie.

It’s the film that everyone’s been talking about – Tom Cruise’s controversial World War 2 epic about the assassination attempt on Hitler. Directed by Bryan Singer and based on the true story of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise), the film also stars an acclaimed cast including Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Eddie Izzard, and Terence Stamp.

Controversially, the film was shot in Germany at various locations where many of the actual events occurred. Other controversy this film has suffered is that Stauffenberg’s offspring had issues with Cruise playing the role of their father.

Screw the controversy – I actually quite liked the film! The supporting cast was excellent and I thought it was really well done. A really interesting story being told! Ok, Tom was cheesy (did I mention that Tom Cruise is cheesy?), and it was weird that everyone in the film had a different accent when they were all supposed to be German.

This film would have been better told in German with a German cast. If there is only one WW2 Hitler film epic to see, make it DOWNFALL. If you want an Americanized one, that’s well done, interesting, gripping and reasonably convincing (but lacking that Germanic authenticity) then make it Valkyrie.

Thanks for listening. Gonna make like Tom and cruise…