Valkyrie (2008)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Bryan Singer

Writers (WGA):

Christopher McQuarrie (written by) &
Nathan Alexander (written by)

Release Date:

25 December 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Thriller | War

Tagline:

Many saw evil. They dared to stop it.

Plot:

Based on actual events, a plot to assassinate Hitler is unfurled during the height of WWII.

Plot Keywords:

Germany | Plan | Plot | Nazi | Colonel

Awards:

1 win & 8 nominations

Cast

Tom Cruise	...	Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg
Kenneth Branagh	...	Major-General Henning von Tresckow
Bill Nighy	...	General Friedrich Olbricht
Tom Wilkinson	...	General Friedrich Fromm
Carice van Houten	...	Nina von Stauffenberg
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Major Otto Ernst Remer
Terence Stamp	...	Ludwig Beck
Eddie Izzard	...	General Erich Fellgiebel
Kevin McNally	...	Dr. Carl Goerdeler (as Kevin R. McNally)
Christian Berkel	...	Colonel Mertz von Quirnheim
Jamie Parker	...	Lieutenant Werner von Haeften
David Bamber	...	Adolf Hitler
Tom Hollander	...	Colonel Heinz Brandt
David Schofield	...	Erwin von Witzleben
Kenneth Cranham	...	Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel

Also Known As:

Walküre (Germany) (literal title) (USA) (alternative spelling)
Operation Walküre - Das Stauffenberg-Attentat (Germany)
Rubicon (USA) (fake working title)
Untitled Bryan Singer Thriller (USA) (working title)
Walküre/Valkyrie (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence and brief strong language.

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44626) | Czech Republic:12 | South Korea:12 | UK:12A | Ireland:12A | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-13 | Australia:M | Norway:11 | South Africa:10V | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Hong Kong:IIA | Sweden:11 | Spain:13 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Brazil:14 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | India:UA | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Barton Flats, San Bernardino Mountains, California, USA

Company:

United Artists

Trivia:

Carice van Houten, who plays Nina Stauffenberg, is the longtime companion of Sebastian Koch, who played Stauffenberg in the critically acclaimed German TV movie Stauffenberg (2004) (TV).

Goofs:

Factual errors: Hermann Goering is not wearing his "Blue Max" WWI medal. It should have been around his neck, with his Grand Cross. Another character ('Pompous General') is correctly shown wearing his Blue Max.

Quotes:

[first lines]
soldiers in unison: I swear by God this sacred oath: That I shall render unconditional obedience to Adolf Hitler, Fuhrer of the German Reich and people, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and that I shall at all times be ready, as a brave soldier, to give my life for this oath.

Movie Connections:

References Apocalypse Now (1979)

Soundtrack:

They'll Remember You

Great movie and thank god for IMDb!

First, I want to say that some time ago I learned to distrust critics and instead read the reviews here on IMDb. I've never been misled, even when an equal number of viewers liked and disliked the same movie because that let me know there was a matter of taste in play, and that's fine. Sometimes a movie pleases everyone, but that's so rare I cant really think of one. People have different tastes and that's good. But the value of IMDb reviews is that they are based on a genuine response to the movie - not a bias, or some other agenda.

For example, the Fox critic Roger Friedman listed this movie as one of the worst of 2008 - without having seen the movie. That's right. He rated it without seeing it. It was a classic and reprehensible case of bias and perhaps even bigotry since he was engaging in Tom Cruise bashing which is usually practiced in conjunction with dissing Tom's religion.

So I don't trust critics to tell the truth or give an unbiased review.

I saw Valkyrie and enjoyed it immensely. I've studied the Hitler period and was familiar with most of the events but the movie educated me while it thrilled and entertained me. It is a movie I was happy to take my teen-aged children to see because it also educated and entertained them. I thought the cast did a great job. The script was outstanding and the direction excellent. Tom Cruise gave a dimension to Von Stauffenberg that deepened my understanding of the events. The supporting cast were brilliant.

I highly recommend it.