Valkyrie DVDValkyrie is an interesting Nazi movie that chronicles one of the plot attempts by Nazi soldiers to assassinate Adolph Hitler and end World War II.  Of course, we all know this attempt failed, but the story line is a compelling one all the same, especially for American audiences who have been conditioned to view all Germans during this time as essentially evil supports of Hitler’s dark plans.  However, this story shows a different side and is being backed by actors such as Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, and Bill Nighy.

What I Liked?

The story and action in the movie is strong.  It is hard to not get swept up in this film and see yourself rooting for this ill fated plot.  However, this is also part of its demise as you know that they will not succeed from the start and so makes it a little more of a guessing game where you are wondering when the wheels will come off.

What I Did Not Like?

If I were to put this movie into baseball terms, I would say it was a double or possibly a triple, but not a homerun.  It certainly had potential with this type of story and intrigue, but it seemed to be missing some key pieces.  One piece is I think they failed to really show why we should be rooting for this plot.  I know everyone is just supposed to hate Nazis from the start, but for younger audiences this animosity is more abstract.  Instead, it would have been better to build up the case here to show that there really was a divided house in Germany about some of the nefarious practices of the Third Reich.  Instead, it was just assumed and I think this was a mistake.  Another obstacle was that Tom Cruise was not really a sympathetic character in this movie.  The story should have been reworked so that people could really feel for his character.  Again, it was just assumed we would and the result was less than spectacular.

Beyond these misgivings, the movie was still worth a viewing.  I would recommend it for a movie rental and could see how history buffs would really enjoy it by comparing it to what really happened.  Perhaps that is best legacy of this movie as it made me want to learn more about what actually happened there and how the movie compared to it.  However, unlike say Braveheart, this movie did not tug on the heartstrings.  I give it a B-.

If you would like to buy this movie, click on Valkyrie DVD.