"Valkyrie: Behind Every Man is his Country" A Film Review by Kathleen Estrella

As nuclear bombs obliterate the pacific and air raids destroy the cities of Britain, a group of Nazi officers conspire to assassinate one of the most ruthless and powerful leaders of all time: the Fuhrer of Germany, Adolf Hilter. Set against the backdrop of a World War II Germany, the much anticipated film Valkyrie begins with a young man writing in his journal. A soft yet decisive tone of German is heard through the loud speakers and German lettering slides through the pages of the journal in pen. Slowly, the German language transforms into English translating the words on the pages. The young man writes, “I am a soldier, but in serving my country, I have betrayed my conscience.”

Assisted by the direction of Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, Superman Returns), Valkyrie provides its audience with an all-star cast and a skillful depiction of the attempt on Hitler’s life and Germany’s salvation. Tom Cruise and his portrayal as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg heads the cast as one of the key players in the plot against Hitler, along with powerful supporting performances by Bill Nighy (General Olbricht), Tom Wilkinson (General Fromm) and David Bamber as the Fuhrer himself. Released under MGM studios with a production cost of over $14 million, Valkyrie is not your run of the mill World War II thriller. Its exciting moments don’t lie behind loud explosions or extravagant battle scenes, but rather through the film’s constant suspense and dialogue. Through this, the story of Valkyrie: The Plot to Kill Hitler comes to life.

The opening sequence of the film focuses on Colonel Stauffenberg stationed in North Africa and his contempt against Hitler and how his regime has a left a stain on Germany. Soon, an injured Stauffenberg returns to Germany and is recruited into the high ranks of a conspiracy along with General Olbricht, Luwid Beck, and numerous Nazi officials who do not believe in a Hitler’s Germany. What ensues next is a series of efforts to recruit other conspiracy members and ‘inside men’ for the job. Through these sequences, the hidden agenda of the men unfolds and the audience learns of the intricately weaved plan to utilize Operation Valkyrie to put Germany into the hands of the Nazi officials. However, as history tells us, the July 20, 1944 attempt was not successful. Eventually, 700 were arrested and nearly 100 were executed.

Contrary to history’s representation of Hitler, David Bamber provides a memorable and intriguing performance as the Nazi leader. Bamber gives a more human touch to one of the most evil men to exist. On the screen he is not the usual screaming mad man spraying spit all over his officer’s faces, but is introverted and the strong yet silent type. In almost every scene that graces Bamber’s presence you expect to suddenly see an extravagant spectacle of yelling, but it is instead replaced by the sly and sheik exterior of a man in control. This brings new light into the personality and behavior of the man whom the world has come to despise.

Although the film is overall well crafted, it fails to supplement a back story and cause for the characters. It is obvious as to why anyone would want to assassinate Hitler, however this is not portrayed in the film itself. There is no real drive for any of the characters, nor does the film provide the important perspective of the German people. The film is purposely focused on the assassination plot, yet if there was a deeper viewpoint on German life and the atrocities of the era, the movie would have left a more powerful impact on its audience. At the end of the film, many see the movie’s shortcomings as a glass half empty rather than half full. However, despite its imperfections, Valkyrie is still worth a watch due to its compelling story which is rarely heard in history class these days, but has left a mark on history none the less.