Valkyrie – Blu-Ray Review

 

The Film:

It was distressing to hear the negativity that hovered over the production, and all the while, the studio constantly moving release dates for Bryan Singer’s WWII drama that didn’t help its matters either. I like Singer, I felt as if in every film he gives it his all and delivers on certain levels of enjoyment. Unfortunately, the last year or two hasn’t been kind to Tom Cruise, and despite his wonky personal life and media grabbing headlines, I have found him to be a decent actor. I’ll admit it.

So finally, Valkyrie is released and was all of that drama worth it? No, in fact, it’s silly that there was even any fear that the film was “in trouble”. Valkyrie is a good drama that has the disadvantage of having every audience member know the fact that Hitler doesn’t die. How do you play against that fact and still make an interesting, suspense-filled tale?

Singer constructs the film with such precision that each act, each motive, is there for a reason and moves the plot along smoothly. History tells us Hitler committed suicide. I would be lying if I was at least for a moment thrown for a loop in thinking maybe Colonel Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) pulled the 14th (!) assassination attempt off successfully. Singer displays all of it in a thrilling manner, as the film essentially has two bits of action and is mostly all dialogue. The film systematically shows the planning of Operation Valkyrie, what could’ve went right and what did go wrong.

If anything, because of Singer’s precise direction, unless you’re a huge history buff, you might not know one German from the next, but it helps having good actors like Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, and Cruise to carry us through this bit of interesting history. Also, there are a few bits of dialogue that felt more like Singer and the screenwriter sharing their feelings than the characters. That’s fine; Hitler was prime evil, the Holocaust was perhaps mankind’s darkest hour, but it feels slightly manipulative. I doubt if Stauffenberg cared about the Jews more than nationalism.

Valkyrie is a sharp thriller, full of engaging drama and tension, and Singer proves he’s still here and can deliver solid films outside of the superhero genre. All of the double-crosses and near-misses, watching Stauffenberg’s plan slowing unravel without him fully understanding why, makes for a great time.

The Blu-Ray

Commentary:  There are two commentary track on this disc, the first one featuring Tom Cruise, Director Bryan Singer, and Co-Writer/Producer Christopher McQuarrie, and the second featuring Co-writer/producer Christopher McQuarrie and Co-Writer Nathan Alexander.  This commentary track is amazing and totally worth listening to, maybe even more than once. 

Reel Pieces with Tom Cruise and Bryan Singer: This is an interview that was recorded live at New York’s 92nd Street Y and is a pretty nice companion piece to the commentary track.  

The Valkyrie Legacy: This is a stunning feature length documentary about the story behind the conspiracy.  The disc is worth the price for this feature alone.  

The Journey to Valkyrie: This featurette traces the history of the film from beginning to end.  Pretty standard feature but still worth a look.

The Road to Resistance: A Visual Guide: Col. Stauffenberg’s real life grandson hosts a trip to the places his grandfather was connected to.  

Taking to the Air:  The film’s flight specialists give a rundown of the classic airplanes used in the film.  This is a really neat feature and definitely worth watching.  

All of the features except for Reel Pieces is in beautiful HD.  

Rating: