Valkyrie

High calibre World War II suspense thriller based on a true story, Bryan 'X-Men' Singer's 'Valkyrie' sees decorated Nazi officer; Col. Claus Von Stauffenberg (a brilliant, understated performance by Tom Cruise) hatch a plot to assassinate Hitler in a bid to save Germany from collapse. 'Valkyrie' plays out like a parable for an America that failed to stand up to its own little Hilters and has, thus far, staggered and spluttered its way towards ruin in an ever-rising torrent of blood. I got over the multitude of accents quicker than expected, for the film moves at such a pace that you forget Cruise is acting in American or that all the top Nazis are Brits. Cruise's opening voiceover has him move from German to English, in a smooth linguistic transition that's similar in direction to the Norse to English changeover in John McTiernan's 'The 13th Warrior'. Col. Von Stauffenberg is moved to action after losing a hand and his eye in an allied air strike over Tunisia, his malaise and disillusionment exacerbated by the pointless activity of distributing medals to wounded comrades in a veteran's hospital, coupled with a realisation of how his young family are affected by Heer Wolf's imperial megalomania. Sent home to Europe and recruited by high ranking Nazi officers who've tried, and failed, to kill the fuehrer; Von Stauffenberg adopts his pragmatic militarism to change the face of the conspiracy, unify its members and organise a viable, post-Hitler strategy. He soon discovers that for some men, such as Major-General Henning von Tresckow (Kenneth Brannagh) the assassination plan is a cri de coeur to show the world that "Not all of us were like him", others like General Erich Fellgiebel (Eddie Izzard) and General Friedrich Fromm (Tom Wilkinson) are extremely reluctant participants whilst General Friedrich Olbricht (Bill Nighy) shuns responsibility and compromises a phase of operations by literally being out to lunch. Valkyrie's ensemble acting is second to none, as a sterling cast bring this compelling story to life in a narrative blitzkrieg of political machinations and furious, intentionally frustrating, near misses. Bald as a coot, brass balled bomb maker Colonel Mertz von Quirnheim (Christian Berkel) shines alongside a well sourced supporting cast which includes Thomas Kretschmann (whose Major Otto Ernst Remer provides some unexpected laughs) Clarice van Houten of 'Black Book' fame as Nina von Stauffenberg, a stoic Terence Stamp is chief conspirator Ludwig Beck, 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' baddie Tom Hollander as Colonel Heinz Brandt and Brit TV thesp David Bamber, who provides a memorable take on Hitler, playing him like a German Woody Allen; pacing around 'The Wolf's Lair' and mumbling some barely coherent drivel about the Valkyries of myth & legend. There are times when Singer's movie resembles 'Day Of The Jackal' meets 'Mission: Impossible', but to leave it at that would be unfair, for 'Valkyrie' is historical drama at its best: well acted, tense and thrilling with a captivating storyline, wonderful cinematography and a focused, well paced script: an achievement in every sense of the word; especially since we already know how it ends.