Product Description

Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp, Eddie Izzard Directors: Bryan Singer

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3687 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-06-08
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Subtitled in: English, Ukrainian, Swedish, Russian, Norwegian, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Finnish, Estonian, Danish
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .30 pounds
• Running time: 121 minutes

Synopsis
Based on a the true story of a cadre of Nazi officers who grew to oppose Hitler's murderous pursuits and made several attempts to kill him in the late stages of WWII, VALKYRIE features a top-flight cast, with drama and suspense in equal measure. The film is a stylistic departure for director Bryan Singer (X-MEN, X2) and star Tom Cruise, with a screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie (THE USUAL SUSPECTS) and Nathan Alexander that is constructed like a heist film, with a team of like-minded men coming together for a common purpose and facing incredible odds. It is 1943, and though he has come to be disgusted by Hitler's campaign of evil, Count Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) has risen to the level of lieutenant colonel in the German army. Convinced that Hitler must die, Von Stauffenberg requests a transfer to Tunisia, where he loses his left eye and right hand during an Allied air raid. Falling in with a group of similarly disillusioned officers including Major General Henning von Tresckow (Kenneth Branagh), General Friedrich Olbricht (Bill Nighy), General Friedrich Fromm (Tom Wilkinson), and Colonel General Ludwig Beck (Terence Stamp), Stauffenberg is at the centre of several attempts on Der Fuhrer's life, culminating in a bombing that kills a handful of his officers and leaves Hitler only slightly injured.

Though advance photos of Cruise in Nazi uniform brought VALKYRIE negative publicity, his restrained performance is at the heart of this well-crafted, thinking person's action movie. He is bolstered by an incredible British cast including Branagh, Stamp, and Wilkinson, and by the film's dazzling art direction. Though it's a story to which viewers should already know the ending, Singer still creates ample suspense. The result is a taut and effective historical thriller.

Tom Cruise and Claus von Stauffenberg	Carice van Houten and Nina von Stauffenberg	Terence Stamp and Ludwig Beck
Bill Nighy and Friedrich Olbricht	Eddie Izzard and Erich Fellgiebel	Kenneth Branagh and Henning von Tresckow

Customer Reviews

Simply outstanding
As an expert on Nazi Germany, having studied the subject for over 35 years, having grown to understand its causes and motivations and how these lead to an appalling - yet well stated intent - to massacre and conquer, this film simply captivates and overwhelms. I had heard a great deal of criticism levelled at Tom Cruise for attempting to play a 6ft 2 Colonel who is regarded as the chief hero of the German resistance.

However, with one tiny inaccuracy at the start of the film, it proceeded in its relentless journey to impress time after time, with its locations, infinitesimal attention to detail which can only be described as a triumph of research and its utterly moving telling of a story doomed to fail from the day it was conceived.

If ever there was a tale about how not to carry out a military coup this is it. Endless good intentions utterly ruined by a total failure of communications.

I found the scene at The Berghof, when Stauffenberg has to get Hitler to sign the Walkure amendment to enable the plan to take shape, simply unbearable in its tension. Every member of the senior German government was instantly recognisable to me without any names being used and most of them not speaking, they were that superbly portrayed and chosen. The exceptional detail of the Berghof layout was just awe-inspiring.

The aircraft scene (which there is an interesting documentary about on the disc) is again outstanding, this is exactly how Hitler travelled. Even the way everyone reluctantly puts out their cigarettes (Hitler loathed smoking)as he arrives. The focus on a mosquito biting a guard - emphasising the sultry summer heat and mosquito infested Rastenburg site was genius. You didn't have to do it, but in doing so, for detail freaks like me, this was extraordinary.

The acting was outstanding, simple as that. I may not get an Oscar or any awards, but I regard this film as one of the finest historical recreations ever made.

To all involved thank you. I and several others were in floods of tears at the end when I saw this twice at the cinema, and already three times on Blu-Ray. Never mind the digital copy that sits on my iPhone so I can bore others to death at will.

I cannot say anything bad about this film. It was a risk to make it, asking for massive criticism and yet its sensitivity, detail and accuracy, especially using (even if unintentionally in one case) the actual locations where possible, just made it as near perfect as can be reasonable 65 years past the event.

Who Knew???
I watched the Blu-ray version of this film on my son's gigantic TV, and I must say that I was blown away by the clarity of the images, especially when the cinematographer contrasted the prevailing grey of the uniforms with the blood-red flags (Some of these shots, in a miniature sense, were worthy of Leni Riefenstal).

I thought that the scenes set in the teletype pool were especially effective, with row upon row of women reading the copy, and one or more raising her hand tentatively when a message of importance came in for the officer-in-charge to scrutinize. In a movie about a wartime assassination plot, one doesn't ordinarily think about such essential matters as communication. This added detail contributed to the believability of the film, which hinges thematically on communication and its lack. The suspense derives from a sense of dread, knowing the outcome (Having stood in that ghastly room with the meat-hooks when visiting Berlin, I was really dreading the end, but the director handled the scene discreetly; hence the PG rating.).

Other than the always-handsome Tom Cruise, I had no idea who was in the cast since I could not read the elongated printing that is used on the back of DVD covers (and I had not yet read the reviews on Amazon, nor had I seen the pictures that Amazon.co.uk has provided). About a quarter of the way into the film, however, I exclaimed, "Good Grief! Is that Kenneth Brannagh?" (Not being one of his fans, my son had no idea.) Only a certain intonation of voice gave him away, since Brannagh, who looks about 20 pounds heavier than the last time I saw him, usually loses himself in whatever part he plays.

By the time the end credits rolled, I was astounded that other roles had been acted by Bill Nighy, Eddie Izzard, Terence Stamp, and Tom Hollander. I have admired each of them in many previous films, but the fact that they immersed themselves into their characters so deeply and seamlessly as to be unrecognizable attests to their ability as actors of the highest calibre. My only thought during the film was a subliminal "good acting. I wonder who they are?" i think I appreciated the film all the more because of their total anonymity.

5 stars it's that good!!
For me the best film of the year by far. The cast although surprising ! did an excellent job and in Blueray form the cinematography is stunning and the general atmosphere of the film does an excellent job of immersing you into the gripping story.
Tom Cruise has thrown himself into the role and really is outstanding.
I have given this 5 stars and I really do think it's that good, the extras on the bluray are fascinating in particular the Valkerie Legacy documentary