Valkyrie

You do not have to be a student of German classical music to appreciate all the subtle plot points that go along with the title, but if you know what the original opera composed by Wagner is about, the movie will mean much more.

This is a movie of fast details with lots of characters mostly wearing similar clothes. One cannot afford to drift off or have a lapse of attention. A score card would help. It is best to watch with someone who is also paying attention so that you can double-check names and reference points.

Tom Cruise plays a very autocratic hero here not unlike his last best work in The Last Samurai. He is surrounded by a wonderful collection of experienced stars. Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, and Tom Wilkinson are all co-conspirators and the group gels very well.

The point of the story is told best in the postscript. This is the last of 15 attempts to assassinate Hitler. All obviously failed for various reasons. The Fuhrer sited divine intervention as the reason for the failures. Nine months later Hitler committed suicide.

This is not an anti-Hitler movie. It is not really even anti-Nazi. It is about how not all German soldiers were 100% committed to the oath they all took in support of Hitler. It is correctly complimentary of the fine structure and organization of the army at the time. It correctly points out how many German officers were not in support of the atrocities committed by so many others.

Watch this movie with someone who can help keep up with the pace and the key points.