Valkyrie

Despite scheduling conflicts that meant the constantly-changing opening weekend had more prospective dates than the Fonz, Valkyrie was one to look forward to. We had gifted director Bryan Singer back in the directorial saddle for the first time since his beautiful Superman Returns. We had a ‘based on a true story’ Hitler-assassination plot penned with Usual Suspects collaborator Christopher McQuarrie. Throw into the mix the fact that the always good-value money-showing, truth-handling Tom Cruise was headlining and you had yourself some serious prospects.

After sustaining serious injuries on an African battlefield, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) is promoted to Hitler’s (David Bamber) inner circle. Approached by a group (Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp, Ken Brannagh, Kevin McNally) looking to dethrone the Fuhrer, Stauffenberg begins working on peration “Valkyrie” which will liberate Europe from the Nazis and frame the SS. But for this plan to work, first they must kill Hitler…

Sadly, Valkyrie doesn’t live up to its promise. Yes it’s a good, solid thriller that sustains our interest thoughout, but it’s not as great as you’d expect from this collaborative talent pool. There's nothing inherently wrong or defect her (a few dodgy quiffs aside), just don't be expecting Keyer Soze-type quality.

However, if one were looking for rationale as to why Singer's newest big screen effort doesn't hit the highs expected, you could question its tension. Though undoubtedly more gripping after the bomb goes off (Hitchcock fans will find that ironic), there aren't many talking points and the big moments don't impact as hard as intended. Sure, movies where the audience knows the outcome can be thrilling (see Braveheart, Titanic, fellow Hitler yarn Downfall), but here any tension is with the characters, not us.

On the plus side though, there's plenty to admire. The story is suitably talky and intricate, the locations are so-good-you'll-feel-like-you're-back-in-time impressive (lots of places were meticulously recreated from scratch) and there's a memorable shot where the camera spins round Wagner's plot-important record Die Walkure. The characters may be so thinly-sketched that the only reason we cheer for Stauffenberg is that he's Tom Cruise trying to kill Hitler, but we do feel a pang of sadness when our brave rebels are thwarted by, erm, telephone operators.

One area unquestionably impressive is the ensemble cast. Wisely allowed to keep their own neutral accents so as to not distract from the story (the first 30 seconds or so we hear Cruise's thoughts in German before they quickly morph to English in a neat turn), the array of British thesps on show all acquit themselves well without chewing the scenery or fishing for trophies. And what of Mr Cruise himself? Well, despite playing things more low-key than usual and rarely given the chance to shout, he does his stoic hero with steely-glare and internal fire thing effectively enough, so the camera clings to him as usual.

While WWII seems to be a subject that Bryan Singer has a lot of affection for (it featured in early teen movies with McQuarrie as well as both Apt Pupil and X-Men), his first Nazi period piece is good, but not great. Much like the operation of the same name Valkyrie is well-planned and mostly well-executed, it just doesn’t quite achieve what it could have.