The Would-Be End of Hitler

Earlier in the week, I saw the new movie Valkyrie, the story of a failed assassination plot against Adolf Hitler by German soldiers. The film itself (as opposed to its content) is an interesting blend of "award bait" and "mainstream crowd pleaser" that doesn't come along too often -- just take a look at its pedigree for the evidence.

It's directed by Bryan Singer, who while most recently known for Superman Returns, first gained fame for The Usual Suspects. It stars Tom Cruise, who used to have a great deal of Hollywood credibility, but is only now starting to regain it (post-Tropic Thunder) after years of bizarre behavior. It features a number of other actors very well-known for powerful acting -- Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, and Terence Stamp -- but the promotional efforts for the movie call little or no attention to this.

I actually find it all very fitting, because it mirrored my own opinion of the film. It was not quite of high enough quality to be a serious award contender... but neither was it so lightweight as to be easily dismissed.

The acting is indeed good across the board, though none of the performers are really given much material to showcase the full force of their talents. The script has very few truly memorable exchanges, very little effective dialogue. And yet, what the scriptwriters lacked in wordsmithery, they clearly made up for in the technique of their storytelling. The film does arouse your interest, and puts you in suspense even though you know the ultimate conclusion to which it must come. It includes a dozen different carefully placed "near miss" moments, where the audience instantly understands that the whole enterprise might have succeeded but for this one unfortunate happenstance or mistake.

Overall, I'd rate Valkyrie a B. It is engaging without being deeply compelling, entertaining if not a revelation.