Not quite the war epic it hopes to be (Valkyrie (DVD))

Member Name: loadedluke

Product:	Valkyrie (DVD)
Date:	18/08/09 (22 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Strong acting and directorial vision

Disadvantages: slow paced, overlong and lacks authenticity without the German language or her actors

Valkyrie is a 2008 thriller/historical movie directed by Bryan Singer, famed for X-men and The Usual Suspects. The British emsemble cast, made up of famous actors including Bill Nighy and Kenneth Brannagh, is led by Tom Cruise as Colonel von Stauffenberg, a disillusioned and disfigured German soldier in Hitler's army during WW2.

The plot is a historically accurate (well, almost) account of the July 20, 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler, undertaken by a band of German soldiers and politicians.

Valkyrie has the makings of a good movie, but i found it an unsatisfying and unentertaining piece of drama. The acting is impeccable and the cinematography is evocative. Tom Cruise is actually very good in this picture. We truly invest in his emotions and he portrays the anger and patriotism that drives him. Tension is created through the washed out colours and greyness of sets and locations. The dialogue is fairly effective at portraying the anger and disatisfaction felt by the plotters.

But there are problems. This long film feels dragged out and slow, although it picks up pace once the assassination plot begins, and some of the chracters are not engaging. As a result, the audience sturglles to become involved and care about these characters. Also, we are not shown why these men are willing to commit treason and risk their own and their families lives. One could argue that the evil of Hitler's regime is known to every audience member, but the closing statements at the end of the film seem to suggest that the film-makers felt they had to remind the audience that Hitler lost the war.

My other problem with the film is that the character's speak in English and without German accents. This might not be a big deal to some, but the message of the movie is that there were Germans who fought against and disagreed very strongly with Hitler's regime and with the war, and by removing the German language and accent, the Germans lose their identity and it shows a darker undercurrent in Hollywood.

Think about it? the "hero" of this movie, Stauffenberg, is the only one to speak with an american accent and is played by a famous american actor. In addition, many of the the more vile and villainous Nazi's have British accents. For a film that is (perhaps) meant to restore some German integrity during history's most despised and bloody war, there are very few German actors.

It could be argued that having the characters not speak in German i meant to appeal to western audiences, who presumably don't like listening to a foreign language and having to read subtitles at the cinema. Yet this inclusive and small-minded view is blown out of the water by films such as "Pan's Labyrinth" and Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds", which is filled with foreign actors speaking German and French, and is much more engaging and better acted then the english speaking British Nazi's of Valkyrie.

Overall, a polished film, which can be admired for it's mise-en-scene, but i would direct you toward Hirschbiegel's "Downfall" if you want to see an accurate and enthralling portrayal of the collapse of Germany in the final years of the war.

Summary: See Downfall for a film depiction of the end of WW2