Valkyrie, starring Tom Cruise and directed by Brian Singer (Superman Returns, X-Men, X-2), is scheduled to be released on the 25th of December 2008. The story is based on actual events that occurred during World War II that involved an assassination attempt on Adolph Hitler. The tag line seen on the official poster is “Many saw Evil. They dared to stop it”. The story was written by Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) and Nathan Alexander. Some are already declaring Valkyrie the year’s best WWII flick.
Okay, so now that the technicalities are out of the way let’s focus on the meat of it all. Tom Cruise sporting an eye patch, World War II, and based on a true story. What’s not to like! Personal life shenanigans aside, Tom Cruise is an incredibly talented actor who is who he is because of delivering solid great performance after solid great performance. In Valkyrie, the tradition continues!
The word Valkyrie is derived from the old Norse word Valkyrja which literally means “the choosers of the slain” in reference to the deities whose rolls were to choose the most valiant warriors who fell in battle to fight for Odin. In the movie, Valkyrie is the codename for the secret operation to assassinate Hitler. It was actually a plan that was designed to be used in case there would be a revolt against the Nazi Government. The conspirators, headed by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise), modified the plan to ensure the success of their assassination plot. The movie is very thought provoking, although anyone who knows how Hitler’s life actually ended (which is just about everyone) will not have a very difficult guessing how it all ends.
