Review: Valkyrie

* Warning: movie spoilers alert.

The sightless eye stares back at you as a last fleeting memory appears in the mind, known only to the bearer. The light from the eye slowly fades as life escapes the now-empty shell of what was once a great soldier. It is true what Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg said as he was about to face his execution; "Look them in the eye. They'll remember you."

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="181" caption="Colonel Stauffenberg"][/caption]

Tom Cruise played the aforementioned colonel in the latest insight of Adolf Hitler's reign in World War II, VALKYRIE. A loyal soldier who is unpleased with the dictator's act, Colonel Stauffenberg broods on his oath of allegiance to his Fuhrer and the contradiction it has on his conscience and his beloved country. His camp is then attacked where he lost his left eye, his right hand and two fingers from his left hand. He finds that he can no longer stay silent as more soldiers are injured or killed and joins the German resistance in hopes of overthrowing Hilter's government before Germany and Europe are destroyed. His plan was simple yet dangerous; to use Hilter's own emergency plan, 'Operation Valkyrie'. This plan requires help on almost all levels, from communications to operations to getting Hitler to sign the new Operation Valkyrie as revised by Colonel Stauffenberg himself. Colonel Stauffenberg is seen as the best man to run the resistance army and is given full support by his fellow-men. However, he finds himself in the position of having to assasinate Hitler himself.

Based on a true story, this film has everything a war suspense movie should be made of; enough war action, endless strategies, unexpected errors and mistakes, and moments that keep you on the edge of your seat. I don't quite understand why the critics and people are giving Tom Cruise a hard time over his acting. While I do admit there are moments where Tom Cruise overacted slightly, his acting skills are still top-notch in this movie. I personally don't believe one should criticize an actor's work because of his personal life. Work is work, personal life is personal.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="288" caption="The headmen of Valkyrie"][/caption]

Anyway, back to the film. The movie starts in German as Colonel Stauffenberg narrates what he pens down in his private journal but later, eases to English (why?) so do not think that this is a foreign film with subtitles. There are no sex scenes in this movie so don't expect any. There aren't even that many women in the movie so don't expect any sexy ladies either. What this film shows is the hierarchy of the German army and how hidden in almost every level is a resistance soldier, armed with information and authority that helped push the Valkyrie operation into effect. It also shows the many risks that are involved and the numerous holes where the operation could go wrong, from the chickening-out of a high-ranking officer to an unnoticed movement by an uninvolved soldier. Alas, though the plan should have gone on perfectly, Hitler did not die.

Among the 15 known assasination attempts on Hitler's life, Colonel Stauffenberg's movement is perhaps the most elaborate, consisting of many high-ranked officers and lower-level soldiers, and the one that went the furthest, pushing the reserve army into occupying Berlin and arresting most of Hitler's loyal officers, not to mention actually injuring Hitler slightly.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="148" caption="Lieutenant Haeften"][/caption]

The ending of the movie is one that will pull your heartstrings as one by one, the conspirators are captured and executed. Perhaps, the most touching part of the ending is the act of the extremely loyal assistant of Colonel Stauffenberg. A soldier who does whatever is requested by the Colonel, Lieutenant Werner von Haeften (played by Jamie Parker) rushes to his Colonel's side as he faces the firing squad. Standing infront of Colonel Stauffenberg with his back to the executioners, Lieutenant Haeften takes the firing bullets for his Colonel. Now alone, Colonel Stauffenberg braves himself and manages to shout a last wish before the bullets rain down his body; "Long live Sacred Germany!"

I do believe that the occupation of Hitler's Germany would have worked if only a few minor details were worked out perfectly. One is the placement of the bomb which was supposed to kill Hitler. If only Colonel Stauffenberg had planned this detail more carefully, it would have worked. Another is the delay by General Friedrich Olbricht (played by Bill Nighy) in mobilizing the Reserve Army. If it was earlier, I think regardless of the many mistakes, the resistance would have won. The most ironic thing is Hitler committed suicide nine months after this movement. :-?

By the way, Colonel Stauffenberg left behind 4 children and a wife, Nina von Stauffenberg, who was pregnant with the 5th child. The widow passed away just 3 years ago, in 2006. His grandson, Philipp von Schulthess, was in the movie, playing an aide to Major-General Henning von Tresckow.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBxK3frsbxA

At the length of approximately 2 hours, it is my personal opinion that Valkyrie is a great watch. It requires some thinking so if you're not in the mood, then I recommend going for it another day. But I guess no matter how good a movie is, there will always be some errors here and there, as Internet Movie DataBase reported in its website (PLEASE don't see the goofs until you see the movie because it contains spoilers.).

Many saw evil. They dared to stop it.