Anna Kate and I had the chance to see Valkyrie this evening, directed by Bryan Singer and starring Tom Cruise. She'd dropped the idea of seeing a movie earlier in the afternoon, but it came up kind of last minute while chatting with my sister. We thought it'd be a nice way to cap off our Christmas break.
Quickie thoughts:
- A solid film. I haven't heard much from Mr. Singer since Superman Returns (which was severely panned by critics, much of which I felt was undeserved), but he directs a fine one here. It's moody and somber in most of the right spots, but there's enough fast-pace action sprinkled in to keep you engrossed in the plot.
- The big trick in these kinds of movies is sustaining your attention. If you have any rudimentary knowledge of WWII and Nazi Germany, in the back of your mind you know the plot to assassinate Hitler is going to fail, and Colonel Staffenberg and his men are ultimately doomed to die. So it's got to work to hold your attention and hopefully make you forget the fact that you already know the outcome.
On that note, I think the film succeeds. Tom doesn't have to do very much other than be bold, daring, and assertive. Fortunately, he's tailor-made for such qualities. A far better outing than, say, War of the Worlds.
- The music gets a bit too deliberately intense at key points. Particularly during a critical scene in which Colonel Staffenberg meets with Hitler. You want to sense an undercurrent of danger, but the music kind of hammers it home that our lead is in a meeting with the most dangerous man in the world who could execute him with a flick of his finger.
- The supporting characters are mostly good and well-acted.
I give the film ***1/2 stars.
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