Cruise and his great eyepatch! (Valkyrie (DVD))

Member Name: raypdaley182

Product:	Valkyrie (DVD)
Date:	07/07/09 (26 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Locations are stunning

Disadvantages: Feels a bit long sometimes

Set in Germany during the 2nd World War Tom Cruise plays Von Stauffenberg, a man injured in combat and disatisfied with the way Germany is being run by Hitler. Fortunately for him he gets put in touch with a group of individuals (comprising of politicians, civilians and military personnel) who want to put an end to how the country is being mismanaged by assassinating Hitler himself.

Anyone with any real knowledge of the history of this period should be pretty familiar with how Hitler met his eventual demise so the end of this movie won't be any surprise (but I won't spoil it here), its more interesting to see how the plans of the conspiritors were laid, carried out and where they went wrong as well as why.

Also cast are Bill Nighy and Terrance Stamp doing a great job as a resistance leader as well as Bernard Hill playing Cruises Commander in the Afrika Korps. I did recognise a few other faces like Eddie Izzard doing a great job as a German and Kenneth Branagh, as well as a few faces I knew but couldn't put names to.

The supporting cast are incredible but what really makes this movie are its locations and excellent costuming. The attention to detail is outstanding and really improves the already great viewing experience. The movie itself can be a little long and drags in places but its well worth watching to the end to see what happened to who after the war ended. Don't dismiss it as "a war movie", view it as a chance to see an educational historical piece instead.

(this review also appears on Ciao)

Summary: Great movie