Interesting
My daughter had recommended that I watch Valkyrie. I found it very interesting, but I truly did not find it a good viewing on Sunday afternoon. The film was well produced but I always enjoy happy endings and this film certainly was not. I accept that it was based on a true story, so I probably should not have expected a happy ending. Overall - interesting - loved Tom Cruise - it was good to see him as a different sort of character and enjoyed the performances of Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy and Terence Stamp, but sometimes it is hard to recognise them as actors as I think they should be in "fun" situations.

Gripping!
Although you know the out come, the film extended my knowledge of the ground swell against the Third Reich. A well crafted, well cast film. Tom Cruise, chosen in part to appeal to an American audience no doubt, was convincing and did not stand out as 'the star' amongst his co-actors.

There were some extremely honest, courageous men who truly loved their country in that dark time. Although they were a small group of patriots, this version of the story went towards redressing the balance that not all Germans were Nazis. There is always another side to the historical picture.

A gripping, thought provoking film, worth a four star rating.

A monumental film
While Tom Cruise is always overacting, this time he succeeded in performing at his best. While the DVD offers no extras, the quality of the film itself is outstanding, with suspense created till the end, even when (one should be) knowing the plot.
Hopefully this will push film makers to look into other hero stories of those days such as that of Wilhelm Canaris, head of the Abwehr who worked together with MI6. Also that is an almost forgotten story.

Tom Cruise was a look-alike Stauffenburg
I bought Valkyrie for my husband, as he is very knowledgeable on all things WWII, but ended up thoroughly enjoying it myself! Tom Cruise looked so much like the real Stauffenburg! A fantastic line-up of actors too. There was a real feeling of tension throughout the film, and you almost felt they were going to succeed in getting rid of Hitler. A brilliant - if grisly - ending.

Surprisingly okay even with Tom Cruise
Well I thought this was going to be awful. It wasn't.
It is pretty well researched and re-creates the story as accurately as you could expect. You have to get through the accents but it is, whether by design or not, a throwback to the good old war films of the 50s and 60s in the way the actors play and speak it.
Everyone knows the story but I thought it created the tension and fear that would have been a part of Nazi Germany realistically.
Don't be pursuaded to buy the book unless you are a keen historian. The style is quite dense and the author comes across as obnoxious and arrogant (possibly a typical Nazi).

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