Unternehmen Walküre

Valkyrie is a 2008 historical thriller film set in Nazi Germany during World War II. I have chosen to review this film due to my interest in history and the history surrounding World War II in particular. I feel that Valkyrie is a very intense and emotional thriller which is able to capture and shape the audience’s emotions according to how the director had planned. This makes Valkyrie successful because it allows the audience to feel as though they are a part of that time period, even for but a brief moment.

Valkyrie was directed by Bryan Singer, the film stars Tom Cruise as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg who is one of the key plotters. Bill Nighy, Eddie Izzard, Terrence Stamp and Tom Wilkinson are also among the group of key plotters.  Cruise’s casting had caused controversy among German politicians and members of von Stauffenberg’s family because of the actor’s practice of scientology, which is considered a totalitarian organization in the country. However German newspapers and filmmakers supported the film in order to spread awareness of von Stauffenberg’s plot. Parts of the film were shot in Berlin’s historic Bendlerblock.

Valkyrie is special for another reason; it is based on real history. Real people, real Germans sacrificed their lives in order to try and stop Hitler’s regime.  I feel it is very important that the people of Germany have been given such an opportunity to show the world that not every German stood behind Adolf Hitler during those times, and that many Germans did not want him to lead their country towards complete destruction.  

However I do feel that there are certain elements lacking in this film that could have been different. I feel that the actors chosen to play the roles of the German soldiers should have been played by Germans and not English speaking actors from America. The film should have been entirely in German with English subtitles. This would have enhanced the authenticity of the film and made it appear so much more realistic. I much acknowledge just how brilliant the portrayal of Nazi Germany was, the uniforms, makeup and filming location all made the film rather credible.