Valkyrie (2008)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Bryan Singer

Writers (WGA):

Christopher McQuarrie (written by) &
Nathan Alexander (written by)

Release Date:

25 December 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Thriller | War

Tagline:

Many saw evil. They dared to stop it.

Plot:

Based on actual events, a plot to assassinate Hitler is unfurled during the height of WWII.

Plot Keywords:

Plan | Germany | Plot | Nazi | German

Awards:

8 nominations

Cast

Tom Cruise	...	Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg
Kenneth Branagh	...	Major-General Henning von Tresckow
Bill Nighy	...	General Friedrich Olbricht
Tom Wilkinson	...	General Friedrich Fromm
Carice van Houten	...	Nina von Stauffenberg
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Major Otto Ernst Remer
Terence Stamp	...	Ludwig Beck
Eddie Izzard	...	General Erich Fellgiebel
Kevin McNally	...	Dr. Carl Goerdeler (as Kevin R. McNally)
Christian Berkel	...	Colonel Mertz von Quirnheim
Jamie Parker	...	Lieutenant Werner von Haeften
David Bamber	...	Adolf Hitler
Tom Hollander	...	Colonel Heinz Brandt
David Schofield	...	Erwin von Witzleben
Kenneth Cranham	...	Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel

Also Known As:

Walküre (Germany) (literal title) (USA) (alternative spelling)
Operation Walküre - Das Stauffenberg-Attentat (Germany)
Rubicon (USA) (fake working title)
Untitled Bryan Singer Thriller (USA) (working title)
Walküre/Valkyrie (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence and brief strong language.

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44626) | Czech Republic:12 | South Korea:12 | UK:12A | Ireland:12A | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-13 | Australia:M | Norway:11 | South Africa:10V | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Hong Kong:IIA | Sweden:11 | Spain:13 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Brazil:14 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | India:UA | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Barton Flats, San Bernardino Mountains, California, USA

Company:

United Artists

Trivia:

Initially, Germany's Ministry of Defense would not allow filming on Bendler Block. They relented after appeals from Tom Cruise and Screenwriter/Producer Christopher McQuarrie. The entire crew started every night of filming with a moment of silence in memory of Stauffenberg.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Hitler is flying into Smolensk, his plane has D-2600 and a black stripe painted on the wing. However, in the shot of the final approach to the runway (view from behind), the plane is devoid of these markings. They return once the plane is on the ground.

Quotes:

[first lines]
soldiers in unison: I swear by God this sacred oath: That I shall render unconditional obedience to Adolf Hitler, Fuhrer of the German Reich and people, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and that I shall at all times be ready, as a brave soldier, to give my life for this oath.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Schmidt & Pocher: (#2.9)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Die Entfernte Melodie

Must See Movie

One of the best movies I've seen in years. In the world where special effects and cheesy plots make 99% of all films, "Valkyrie" delivers psychological thriller with a lesson in history. I saw this movie with my 9 year old son who is a big Military Fan. In the eyes of a 9 year old boy - the World consists of "Good Guys" and "Bad Guys". I hope that this movie will allow him to recognize that the World is little more complex than "Black & White" or "Good & Bad". This movie is the first film I have ever seen that presents German People as human beings trapped in the wheels of a spinning war machine, and not merely monsters responsible for all WWII atrocities. The movie illustrates political ties and relationships between Army and SS which were at the heart of Hitler's grip on the Reich.