Valkyrie (DVD)

Ever since Tom Cruise went batshit crazy on a certain talk show and was subsequently given the elbow by Paramount, the world has been waiting to see if and how he’d manage to pick himself up and dust himself down. With Lions For Lambs proving to be a less than promising attempt at a return to form, it looked as if the pint-sized performer was going to have to pull something other than another beaming, swoon-inducing grin out of his arse if he was to get back in the good books of the movie-going world.   While his self-deprecating cameo in Tropic Thunder did wonders for his street cred, nothing gets a star back in the public’s good graces than a gutsy turn in a solid blockbuster. And that, funnily enough, is exactly what is achieved with Valkyrie. Nothing more, nothing less.

Unfortunately, while the movie plays out as a consistently entertaining vehicle that allows the lead to once again showcase his charm and ability, it frequently feels as though the hugely fascinating narrative is put on the back burner. It’s a situation that’s exacerbated by the fact that, despite the entire movie following a Nazi plot to kill Hitler, the conspirators aren’t even covering up the English dialogue with a German accent. As such, the whole thing loses the natural resonance that would come from a tale of good-guy Nazis. Instead it ends up as a bog standard Allied-versus-Axis espionage thriller that we’ve all seen a thousand times before. And with Singer so blatantly gearing the film towards the masses, it ends up reeking of a missed opportunity.

However, if you have enough heart to forgive those major flaws, then you’ll be enjoy one of the most fun and engaging war films of the past few years. Racing along at breakneck speed, the film keeps you teetering on the edge of your sofa thanks to the dazzling visual spectacle and John Ottman’s haunting score.  Of course, you’ve got to hand it to Cruise too. Dishing up a performance laced with all the charisma that made him a star in the first place, he’s proven that it’ll take more than a tabloid drubbing to put him down. It’s just a shame that a potential five-star movie had to become a three-star flick in order to make the point.

As for the disc, there’s plenty of material on there to keep you happy – particularly if you’re a history buff. While the pair of enthusiastic commentaries and a brief ‘making of...’ featurette are standard fare, the 45-minute ‘The Valkyrie Legacy’ documentary does a bang up job of going over the true story on which the film was based.  In all then, it’s a decent but not brilliant package. Pretty appropriate for a film that holds the same sentiments.

Overall Verdict: A flawed but admittedly compelling movie that proves Tom Cruise can still entertain.

Special Features:
Commentary by Tom Cruise, Bryan Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie
Commentary by Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander
Featurettes:
     The Journey to Valkyrie
     The Road to Resistance: A Visual Guide
     The African Front Sequence
     Taking to the Air
     Recreating Berlin
     92nd Street Y: Reel Pieces with Tom Cruise and Bryan Singer
     The Valkyrie Legacy

Reviewer: Jordan Brown