Review: Valkyrie

It is not hard to approach this movie with unease. This is the Tom Cruise movie where Cruise is a real life hero who tried to kill Hitler from within--and he had to wear that eye patch in the course of the movie. You will remember Germany was not too happy that Tom Cruise, Mr. Scientology and Hollywood super star, would take on such a heavy duty, somber task that weighs on the whole country.

Germany should not have been worried. Cruise is part of a balanced cast and handles his duties well. At the start of the movie, we learn that Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise) was injured in Africa, leaving one hand amputated and one eye missing, thus requiring either an eye patch or a false eye. He is disillusioned with Hitler and becomes a traitor to him, making the injuries (and the eye patch) more sympathetic. By circumstances, he joins an underground network of Germans determined to take Germany back from within so that the country can negotiate a peace with the Allies, thus saving lives and Europe in general. The movie shows that this was not just a matter of a few good men, but a vast underground with great intentions, although sometimes bogged down by its own bureaucracy and fear.

Cruise, no longer being the kid movie star, is cool, assured and brave - with the fault of sometimes being a little impatient, but, of course, we are talking about saving as many lives as possible, and time is of the essence. Thankfully, Cruise is not overblown is his portrayal and gives nice, human touches -- not wallowing, but a glance, a shudder, a boiling, all underneath that reserved German exterior. It is one of his best performances in some time, and I think it shows the middle age Cruise is maturing in his acting.

The rest of the cast is excellent, with plenty of moments for others to shine. The story is the thing, and the incident where we heard that a briefcase blew up in a meeting where Hitler was attending is shown to be a much larger operation that caused chains of reaction all across Germany. I had no idea that for a short time, major ministry buildings were handed over and even the Berlin police chief gave assurances there would be no problems from him. For a moment, we can suspend our knowledge of history and can be happy for our heroes...if but briefly.

This is a serious film, meaning the number of explosions (even for a World War II film) is kept to a minimum and adults act like adults. And those of us know history, well, that does take out a certain amount of fun. But watching the planning and dedication of certain heroes that no one talks about -- the German resistance movement from within -- and sweating out the details with them does make this two-hour film, released this week on DVD, one to rent. (The two-disk version has all the extras on it.)