Valkyrie

Ryan Watkins

Ms. Golub

5/31/14

AP Euro

Valkyrie

      Valkyrie was directed by Bryan Singer. Produced by Christopher McQuarrie. Starring Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, and Bill Nighy. I watched it today at my house.

      This movie is about a man named Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. Who was severely injured during an air raid in Africa. He lost his right hand, the ring finger of his left hand and his left eye. Stauffenberg then joins the German resistance and gets the idea of using Operation Valkyrie. This operation uses the Reserve army to maintain order in the event of a national emergency. Stauffenberg then Smuggles a bomb into a tactical meeting with Hitler in attendance. Stauffenberg is sure that the bomb killed Hitler but his brief case was moved behind a table leg, protecting Hitler from the blast. Stauffenberg still tries to go through with operation Valkyrie but it requires the Fuhrer to be deceased, Hitler quickly stops the take over and all the conspirators are executed.

      The conspirators were based on real people but the actions they took in the movie may not have been completely accurate. The characters they played though, did exist, were Fuhrer and were executed around they time they were in the movie.

      The sets were all amazing. It was all filmed in Berlin Germany, were the film takes place. It is extremely obvious that it is. Because the whole movie has a Berlin feel to it. I don't believe that if it was filmed anywhere else it would be quite as well done as this movie. They rebuilt the inside of Hitler's Wolf's Lair based on footage shot by Hitler's consort.

      I enjoyed this movie a lot. Although it is no where near some of the bigger movies about this time period. I still feel it is well done and the plot is interesting, But as long as you know your history you could easily deduce that cruise's plan would fail and that Hitler would survive his attempted assassination. This realization greatly hurt this movie. I recommend this movie but there are definitely better ones out there.