FILM: C
If you know me, then you know I’m rarely impressed by typical war films that paint the picture from one point of view-the American view. I understand the purpose of propaganda films done in wartime. But what I do like about war films, are stories that don’t sound as if they’re coming from a middle school text book. There can be more impact of what war is and its effects in films like Life is Beautiful, No Man’s Land, The Counterfeiters where there is a very real backdrop of war, but it’s not some constant pat on the soldier’s back for 180 minutes, which has its place but the ripples of war offer much more. So Valkyrie was intriguing because it set out to dispel the myth that all Germans were Nazis and supported the dictatorship. That people were planning to assassinate Adolf Hitler during World War II; people who served alongside him.

The German Resistance includes Major General Henning von Tresckow (Kenneth Branagh) Friedrich Olbricht (Bill Nighy), General Ludwig Beck (Terrence Stamp), Dr. Carl Goerdeler (McNally), and Erwin von Witzleben (David Schofield). Tom Cruise plays a badly disfigured Colonel Claus von Stauffenburg, chosen to lead the conspirators in a fake attempt of a coup d’etat luring General Friedrich Fromm (Tom Wilkinson) as their bait. Fromm is the only person who can initiate Operation Valkyrie, an deployment of the Reserve Army in time of emergency. The Resistance hopes through this they can purge Hitler’s main men and restore order from the Nazi regime and end the mass slaughtering. All that needs left to happen is the assassination of Hitler.

We all know that they failed, taking any possibility of a warm ending, or even a surprise ending out of the mix but these were the only men memorialized in Berlin of World War II. Their story needed to be told, but probably not as a thriller. The action did not compel me and there wasn’t enough meat on the bone to be a drama. There wasn’t enough to really distinguish the individuals of the resistance. Who really were these men? Their motivations, their cause and the make-up of their characters are unfortunately nowhere to be found. Yes, this is an American film, but it could have done its best to strive to be better than the average Hollywood attempt which is what this is.

Cruise is fine but not special. He looks the part, certainly but truth be told, he’s a bit robotic in playing someone who’s supposed to be revered a German hero. The supporting cast is full of distinguished actors who deliver exactly what you expect of them. Wilkinson, Branagh, and Stamp seem to never do wrong, and there’s no changing that after Valkyrie, but none of them have the throttle in their performances or their stories, to make this a memorable film. And I’m sorry but as a regular viewer of foreign films, this film would have benefitted greatly with being in German or at least with German accents. A more epic telling of the Resistance would have helped too.

VIDEO: B-
Valkyrie is graced with a 1080p, AVC-encoded transfer in 1.85: ratio. Director Bryan Singer and director of photography Newton Thomas Siegel went for a specific look that was carried throughout the film. Colors are desaturated a bit except for the color of red which gets bumped out in every scene it appears (which thanks to the Nazi flag is a lot). There’s also a yellow push or filtered look that really accentuates yellow and gold but as far as typical high-definition, this isn’t it. It’s not grainy, and things are visually clean but not HD clear which leads me to believe it was way Singer meant for it to be seen.

AUDIO: A-
Valkyrie’s main audio is an English 5.1 DTS-HD MA track that’s got it all. The opening sequence in Tunisia is sure to be demo material as the surround movement is really nice. War planes zipping by back-to-front, front-to-back, left-to-right and as planes drop bombs and shoot guns each one of your speakers will make you aware of their presence in the room. Unfortunately the audio isn’t as impressive in scenes where dialogue is spoken in quieter scenes. Frustrating would be an overstatement for having to tinker with the volume but it’s not a desired quality either. Had they balanced this better, Valkyrie would be at the least, reference audio material, but overall it’s much better than average, and just short of being memorable. Also on the disc are French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks. Subtitles can be seen in Mandarin, Portuguese, Korean, Cantonese, Spanish, French and English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

EXTRAS: A-

If Valkyrie and the story of Hitler’s assassination attempts piques one’s interest, the supplements are sure to satisfy the plenty of questions that arise after the first viewing.

Audio Commentary by actor Tom Cruise, director Bryan Singer and screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie- This group makes it clear that this is not a history lesson per se but rather a film about an ?assassination attempt at Hitler.? Cruise is surprisingly engaging with his contributions to the commentary, for example he describes the challenge of acting with a patch over the eye, being able to use three fingers on one hand and speaks to Singer like a fan. There’s a good rapport between the three about the conspiracies, and the proper context surrounding each scene.

Audio Commentary by Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander – the writing team who wrote The Usual Suspects teamed up again for Valkyrie. Here they talk about some filmmaker and production notes, the writing process of adapting a historic moment and the facts appropriately into something that would be a two-hour film.

The Journey to Valkyrie Featurette (15:56) – is typical EPK affair expanding on the World War II films Singer made with McQuarrie as teenagers, casting, costume, historic and emotional relevance of making this film for those Germans who were against the Nazis.

The Road to Resistance Featurette: A Visual Guide (9:08) – The grandson of Col. Stauffenberg, Phillip Von Schulthess tours Berlin, Germany revisiting the places that were important in his grandfather’s life, and explaining the resistance of Hitler’s dictatorship and some of the harrowing details of the aftermath of the failed Valkyrie attempt. Stauffenberg’s surviving daughter is also interviewed for what she experienced of the conspiracy as a child.

The African Front Sequence Featurette (7:01) – is a behind-the-scenes look into Valkyrie’s opening scene in Tunisia and creating a realistic battle scenario.

Talking to the Air Featurette (7:32) – shares the experience of shooting the airplanes, working with pilots and taking historic planes out for a ride.

Recreating Berlin Featurette (6:51) – is a short piece of taking Berlin back to 1944 was a task in trying to be faithful to that era and revisiting that dark period for Germany. It was Singer’s first historic piece and several locations were the actual places still intact. Clothes and artifacts had to be tracked down from collectors and museums when possible to give the sense of reality.

Reel Pieces with Tom Cruise and Bryan Singer Recorded Live at New York’s 92nd Street Y SD (38:57) – is an opportunity for a NY audience to see Cruise and Singer interviewed about Valkyrie after a private screening. It moves along early on but begins to drag, at the 25 minute mark. Repeat viewings are unlikely though.

The Valkyrie Legacy Documentary HD (1:54:14) – Saving the best for last is an extremely good full-length film directed by Kevin Burns that explains how Hitler came into power, the rise of the Nazi regime, and dives into the real plots to stop Hitler within the German ranks. Interviews with descendants of those who conspired against Hitler, historians, and professors are spliced with reels of Nazi propaganda, Hitler audio clips and war footage and is a perfect companion piece after seeing the film.

Disc 2 is a Digital Copy for Portable Media Players.

OVERALL SHOCK VALUE: B-

Can one reserve their opinion of Tom Cruise to see Valkyrie to give it a fair shot? Perhaps even more important, is it good enough to watch in the first place? It’s not bad, but it really could have been much better. It’s comforting to understand that there was humanity that existed in Germany at this time; that not everyone supported the horror of genocide and destruction done by the Nazis. The Memorial Day timing and development of the film is interesting, given that it took American filmmakers to seek redemption for Germans who were wrongly associated with Hitler. It’s quite relevant to how all Muslims are constantly lumped in with extremists and terrorists. However, there’s enough story that’s missing from the background of these conspirators that leave a desire for a longer, and more complete telling of the conspiracy. In the end, Valkyrie by itself doesn’t carry the burden of a heavy-weight epic that it feels like it tries to be. Kevin Burns’ The Valkyrie Legacy and the commentaries provide that though. So as a complete package, the extras on the Valkyrie blu-ray makes it a worthy an investment of your time especially if you’re a World War II buff.

Ernie Estrella