Valkyrie (2008)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Given the subject matter, Valkyrie could have been an outstanding historical thriller, but settles for being a mildly entertaining, but disposable yarn.
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Cast
as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg
as Major-General Henning von Tresckow
as General Friedrich Olbricht
as General Friedrich Fromm
as Nina Von Stauffenberg
as Maj. Otto Ernst Remer
as Gen. Ludwig Beck
as Gen. Erich Fellgiebel
as Dr. Carl Goerdeler
as Col. Mertz von Quirnheim
as Lt. Werner von Haeften
as Adolf Hitler
as Col. Heinz Brandt
as Erwin von Witzleben
as Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel
as Margarethe von Oven
as Maj. Ernst John von Freyend
as Lt. Herber
as Police Chief Wolf-Heinrich von Helldorf
as Second Lt. Hagen
as Pompous General
as Sgt. Helm
as Lt. General Adolf Heusinger
as Tresckow's Aide
as Sgt. Kolbe
as Sgt. Major Adam
as Confident General - Desert
as Young Lieutenant - Desert
as Dr. Roland Freisler
as Albert Speer
as Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler
as Reich Marshal Hermann Göring
as Captain Haans
as Dr. Joseph Goebbels
as Doctor
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Critic Reviews for Valkyrie
All Critics (193) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (119) | Rotten (74) | DVD (7)
Valkyrie, as field-commanded by director Bryan Singer, succeeds on its own terms as a handsome hybrid of conspiracy thriller and history lesson, of Mission: Impossible and The Day of the Jackal.
As old-fashioned historical escapism goes, this is solid, compelling stuff.
Surely there is some middle ground between a history lesson and mindless action-adventure. The people who made Valkyrie not only didn't find that ground; they weren't even looking for it.
It is a well-made film that raises timeless questions about the demands of military duty when they are placed in conflict with higher principles.
What if this lesser-known chapter of German resistance had been more deeply captured? What if the moral conflicts running through this movie about love of country and revolt said more about Germany, war and, yes, genocide?
Singer keeps the conspiracy racing to its fated conclusion.
Audience Reviews for Valkyrie
Anyone who has seen The Desert Fox will be familiar with this story, but instead of concentrating on Rommel, it examines the role of Claus Von Stauffenberg in the plot to assassinate Hitler after many of his officers began to question not only his tactics but his sanity. The theme of the two films is actually very similar; to show that not all of the German military or its people were Nazis, and there were some who were willing to sacrifice their lives to try and stop him. For me the most interesting part of the film takes place after the bombing when a plan is implemented to take over Berlin and I had no idea how far it went into effect and how close it came to succeeding; I can't help but wonder how different the world would be now if Olbricht had shown a bit more backbone or the meeting hadn't been moved to an outside location. From a technical point of view, it's unsurprisingly very solid, with classy direction from Bryan Singer and quality performances all round, although as usual it is very difficult to divorce tiny Tom from his screen persona. In all it's a very interesting history lesson that inevitably suffers from the fact that we all know how the story is going to play out and suffers in comparison to the gut wrenching intensity of Downfall. A good, solid war film nonetheless.
Super Reviewer
Historical drama. A number of inside attempts were made by Germans to assassinate Hitler. This movie tells the story of one of those plots. Tom Cruise leads a group of men to assassinate Hitler. Even though you know that Hitler committed suicide in real life, the movie makes you wish the outcome was different. Good story and cast. Only problem - everyone uses their own accents.
Super Reviewer
They conquered all Europe, the Nazis, so how could they fail assassinating the one madman behind it all, I've often wondered. Singer manages to put a human face on the proceedings, a true explanation, though more actual German inclusion would've been welcome in this retort to the countless "they're all evil" films out there. Tense and gripping, the work only suffers in that the subject is perhaps larger than a mere film can contain. Nonetheless a very good work.
Super Reviewer
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