Valkyrie does not deserve all of the negative press it has received. It's not nearly as bad as many (some of whom hadn't seen it) have been proclaiming. However, it doesn't deserve great accolades, Oscar nominations or even huge boxoffice success, either, because although it isn't bad, it's not all that good. This is one of those films that is perfectly summed up in my new favorite word: meh. Valkyrie is so completely average that it's completely forgettable. It's a movie that years from now someone will be talking about and way in the back of the recesses of my brain I'll suddenly remember, yeah, I did see that, or something like it, but I can't remember much about it. Speaking of which, I better get this review written fast while I still can remember anything at all.

The other note I should touch on right off the bat is Tom Cruise's performance. Understand that I'm not a Tom Cruise fan; I'm one of those who feel he pretty much plays the same guy in every film. However, I'm also not a Tom Cruise hater, and regardless of what he's done in the public eye, I can't say I've ever cared enough to let that influence how I view him on screen. Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise in Valkyrie. Like the film itself, he is neither horrible or spectacular. He doesn't come across so much as the star of this movie, but as a central figure around which larger events take place.

His portrayal of Col. Stauffenberg is of a man who is decisive, resolved, and resolute. He is a figure who commands respect and authority, and Cruise portrays that well enough so that when he starts barking orders at superior officers, you believe that they would snap into action and obey. I don't know if that's what the real Stauffenberg was like, but it makes an otherwise bland character very interesting. Cruise is at his best during the moments where his character has to take command and make things happen. Sadly, it's the personal moments that come across as very wooden and devoid of any emotion. Instead of these moments helping us to understand this character and even to come to empathize him with so we can be emotionally engaged with what's happening, they slow the movie down and almost feel like filler to help pad out a movie that wasn't long enough.

In fact, that was my main problem with the film over all: I never felt engaged on a emotional level. I thought that everything happening was very interesting from a historical perspective, but I never felt personally invested. I didn't feel like I was going along with the characters in their endeavors, but rather just watching them (I know, it's a movie and that's exactly what you do, but you know what I mean). Aside from the bland and wooden acting, this came from the fact that I was never told why these men decided to kill Hitler. Yes, we're told he's a madman, and everyone knows that he was a bad person; however, you can't assume anything for your audience when telling a story. Valkyrie assumes that we all know how bad Hitler was and how necessary it was to kill him, so it never bothers showing us why.

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