valkyrie

calvin coolidge once said, "true patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else." Col. von Stauffenberg understood these lines perfectly and sacrificed everything to try and assassinate adolf hitler. everybody knows that hitler survived this attempt but what is fascinating about the film is the way it shows how the july 20th plot came to happen and what followed later (700 arrests and 200 executions).
directed by bryan singer who is known fr his consistency and intense treatment, 'valkyrie' is everything one would want in a historical thriller. singer edits to perfection leaving us with not one single moment which could be termed boring...he puts in some powerful line, my favourites being, "We have to show the world that not all of us are like him. Otherwise, this will always be Hitler's Germany." and "God promised Abraham that he would not destroy Sodom if he could find ten righteous men... I have a feeling that for Germany it may come down to one." singer does not disenchant us at all...he gives us a film high on commercial value having true patriotism at its core. whats so special about is that eventhough i knew he was gonna die in the end...i felt a moving sense of patriotism in me...i am sure i would have had tears in my eyes if i was a german...seeing men sacrifice their lives for their country with such valiance, honour and determination shook me.
now for the big question, is tom cruise any good? i'd have to say he was electrifying...he was terrific...i am not sure if the real Col. was all tht...but his presence cud be felt in every scene. you cud see that serving his country was betraying his conscience. his intensity and grit are spot-on and he delivers every line with a punch...his last line is the most remarkable...look them in the eye, they will always remember you. i cant see why many people thought he was bad in the first place. i guess its his stardom clouding his skill ( a bias tht is relevant even with srk)...but i was completely impressed. the only lapse probably was tht he spoke in an american accent...but i am sure he had reason to not do the german one...the major one being, it clogs ur dialogue delivery (a fact tht was seen with abhishek in delhi 6).
among the supporting cast, tom wilkinson is fabulous as a general staying neutral and waiting for a side to gain an upper hand. bill nighy and kenneth branagh also put in very commendable potrayals.
'valkyrie' is one of those films which deals with the 'what-ifs' of history and does it remarkably well. watch it for bryan singer, the intensity, the thrill, the drama, the patriotism and tom cruise. you'd wish that such men still lived among us...those who stood up when everyone dint raise an eybrow...those who loved their country...those who gave their lives fighting for what they believed in. you would feel pride in seeing von Stauffenberg...i did.
Rating - 4/5