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Title: Valkyrie (2008)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Tom Cruise | ... | ||
| Kenneth Branagh | ... | ||
| Bill Nighy | ... | ||
| Tom Wilkinson | ... | ||
| Carice van Houten | ... | ||
| Thomas Kretschmann | ... | ||
| Terence Stamp | ... | ||
| Eddie Izzard | ... | ||
| Kevin McNally | ... |
Dr. Carl Goerdeler
(as Kevin R. McNally)
|
|
| Christian Berkel | ... | ||
| Jamie Parker | ... | ||
| David Bamber | ... | ||
| Tom Hollander | ... | ||
| David Schofield | ... | ||
| Kenneth Cranham | ... | ||
In Nazi Germany during World War II, as the tide turned in favor of The Allies, a cadre of senior German officers and politicians desperately plot to topple the Nazi regime before the nation is crushed in a near-inevitable defeat. To this end, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, an Army officer convinced he must save Germany from Hitler, is recruited to mastermind a real plan. To do so, he arranges for the internal emergency measure, Operation: Valkyrie, to be changed to enable his fellows to seize control of Berlin after the assassination of the Fuhrer. However, even as the plan is put into action, a combination of bad luck and human failings conspire on their own to create a tragedy that would prolong the greater one gripping Europe. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)
It was curious timing to release this film on Christmas Day. As David Letterman quipped on last night's monologue: "Nothing says Holidays like a good Nazi death plot".
Release timing not withstanding, this is a very powerful movie and by all accounts comports with the historical record. There was little embellishment for dramatic effect here. Hitler murder conspiracy dramas are abundant in Hollywood, but this one actually happened and was nearly successful. The story is riveting, and even though the outcome was already known (at least to anyone who had a rudimentary knowledge of WWII), the excitement level was sustained by not really knowing the precise timing of events or, more importantly, who would be spared in the end.
Tom Cruise was very good in the lead role as the chief conspirator (Col. von Stauffenberg). The rest of the cast was first rate, including Tom Wilkinson as Gen'l Fromm, a Nazi head honcho who was playing both sides of the fence, and many other notable actors, such as Kenneth Branagh and Terence Stamp, all excellent.
For fans of "Downfall", the German film documenting Hitler's final week in the bunker (one of the all time great WWII films and #75 on the IMDb top 250), there were two actors from that movie playing in this one. Thomas Kretschmann and Christian Berkel both were key figures in "Downfall" had supporting roles in this film.
For people with an interest in WWII or history in general, this is one film worth checking out.