Review of Valkyrie (2008) by Frank C — 26 Jul 2014

A pretty entertaining World War II thriller, but more melodrama than storytelling. Once you get past the British-accented Germans, the ensemble cast puts together a fun story of an assassination/coup that is maybe two feet from success. Honestly the story would probably be more fun if it were more successful (a la Inglorious Basterds), because who doesn't like beating the Nazis. That said, this is based on a true story, so we should know how the story ends.

Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, and Tom Wilkinson all play their parts well, because, well, we expect them to. We all know Cruise can carry a movie, but it was great to see Nighy in a more serious, nuanced role. I personally wanted to see more Kenneth Branagh, but had to settle for maybe 10-15 minutes of screentime at the beginning and end of the movie.

Stylistically I do have to compliment the cinematography for being true to the era. The outfits, documents, etc. gave the film the credibility necessary for one to buy into the whole English-speaking charade. Still Bryan Singer hasn't been able to match the incredible Usual Suspects in his subsequent projects. But then again, he hasn't had Kevin Spacey.