Valkyrie

TheGoose · Tue Dec 09, 2008 10:38 pm

I've been attracted to Bryan Singer's (X-Men 1 and 2, Superman Returns, Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil) films after seeing some of them and was looking forward to Valkyrie. However, I was against seeing Singer's new film when I found it that Tom Cruise (I saw Risky Business and wasn't impressed) was going to star in it, but after seeing some clips of Cruise in the film, I'm reconsidering. It looks like a good historical story with intrigue and drama.

Imperial · Wed Dec 10, 2008 12:08 am

This movie actually managed to capture my interest.

I'm not a Cruise fan by any means, but I'm such a history buff that I can overlook his presence. I'll likely wait out the reviews before I blow the cash on a movie ticket, but it doesn't look to be a stinker by any means. It's a captivating subject spelled out across the silver screen. What's not to like?

Wingnut · Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:07 am

Imperial wrote:What's not to like?

The fact that we know how the movie will end before we see it?
That adds extra pressure to those making it to have it be beyond viewers expectations that people will want to see it even knowing the ending.

X10A-Freedom · Wed Dec 10, 2008 3:23 am

Wait what? Is Risky Business the only Tom Cruise movie youve seen?

I personally like Tom Cruise it has nothing to do with his acting although I think hes a pretty good actor I just think he so awesomly entertaining no matter what he dose on screen and off . I love Last Samurai and he was so awesome in Tropic Thunder . And now he has an eyepatch I want to see the movie just for that

the story is just a bonus.

And yeah we do know what happens to Hitler but we dont know what happens to everyone else uless your a history buff.

Imperial · Fri Dec 12, 2008 12:44 am

I can't say I'm particularly impressed by any of Cruise's performances and I thought the whole idea of The Last Samurai was so corny I'm surprised I didn't die of a corn overdose. But, hey, that's just me.

Still, it doesn't help that I've heard a lot of people blasting his performance in this movie as flat and unconvincing at best.

Dynames · Fri Dec 12, 2008 2:57 am

Imperial wrote:This movie actually managed to capture my interest.

I'm not a Cruise fan by any means, but I'm such a history buff that I can overlook his presence. I'll likely wait out the reviews before I blow the cash on a movie ticket, but it doesn't look to be a stinker by any means. It's a captivating subject spelled out across the silver screen. What's not to like?

Myself also being a miltary Buff will be lookin forward to this one

mcred23 · Fri Dec 12, 2008 3:05 pm

Dynames wrote:Myself also being a miltary Buff will be lookin forward to this one

I'm rather uninterested in this movie for that same reason. I've seen and read enough about the plot to kill Hitler that a dramatic telling of this particular event in history doesn't capture my interest a great deal, and IMO Tom Cruise is very hit or miss. At the most, like Imperial, I'd wait for reviews to come out before I'd consider seeing it...

Sanjiro · Wed Dec 17, 2008 7:29 pm

Meh, looks entertaining. And scientology aside, (Not tryin to start a war here, jus sayin) I like ol Tom. Top Gun ftw!!!!!

Kishiria · Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:22 pm

I'd see it if Tom Cruise weren't the lead. I can't take him seriously anymore.

TheGoose · Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:31 pm

Kishiria wrote:I'd see it if Tom Cruise weren't the lead. I can't take him seriously anymore.

After jumping on that couch on Oparh, who can?

Still, he seems to be ok from the clips I've seen. Also, he looks erriely familiar to the real life Col. Stauffenberg. Just look at this comparison pic: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/e ... Cruise.JPG

aberrance · Mon Dec 22, 2008 11:23 pm

Not to rain on the parade, but wasn't the main character of this film still a nazi and not necessarily good in any way? Feel free to brush up my history for me...but the movie does look awesome nonetheless!

TheGoose · Thu Dec 25, 2008 5:23 pm

I saw it today and the theater was pretty packed. I did enjoy some of the suspense scenes and the build-up to kill Hitler. The problems, however outweighed the good, with a mixed performance by Tom Cruise and not enough emphasis on the characters involved with the plot or the overall theme of treason against Hitler. Its not a bad film, but it falls short in areas. Some of the dramatic scenes also had a bit of a problem since, sometimes, the audience would laugh at them.

Dark Duel · Thu Dec 25, 2008 5:40 pm

aberrance wrote:Not to rain on the parade, but wasn't the main character of this film still a nazi and not necessarily good in any way?

No, Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg never was a Nazi.

Phantomexe87 · Thu Dec 25, 2008 11:20 pm

aberrance wrote:Not to rain on the parade, but wasn't the main character of this film still a nazi and not necessarily good in any way? Feel free to brush up my history for me...but the movie does look awesome nonetheless!

He was a questionable character, not the great hero of liberty they are making him out to be in this movie. He had no issue using Polish civilians for slave labor, and even encouraged it during the early years of the war.

Still that's not unusual, a lot of morally questionable characters get heroized for the sake of film (see the Patriot).

Must say I'm rather surprised they're depicting Hitler in movies now, in a more serious light. That's generally been somewhat taboo in the past.

The Big Zabowski · Thu Dec 25, 2008 11:25 pm

True, he was never a party member, but he was still as guilty of German racism as his nationalist comrades. It was more his upbringing that molded his line of thinking, which ironically was more or less a duality of both sides from the war that I found..interesting.

But at the same time I it find hard for me to see Hollywood duplicating this, especially with Cruise at the lead. I may give it a chance tomorrow when I use a pair of tickets I got for Christmas to see it with my brother.

EDIT: It's been 60 years. They might as well stop glossing him over as a crazy maniacal madman (more-so than he was IMO) while painting our side as the "white knights" of the world during those years.

"Its the winners of the war that write the history books."

We just so happened to win. Also, I'd like to make it a point that political discussion is ripe for begining (even with my posts) for this thread. So maybe we should nip this in the bud and have moderators watch this ever so carefully so it doesn't turn into a mudslinging fest.

Just my .02

Sanjiro · Fri Dec 26, 2008 1:37 am

Kinda off topic, but I picked up a book a few weeks ago titled How Hitler could have won WWII

A very interesting read, if you happen to see it, check it out.

Phantomexe87 · Fri Dec 26, 2008 2:07 am

Sanjiro wrote:Kinda off topic, but I picked up a book a few weeks ago titled How Hitler could have won WWII

A very interesting read, if you happen to see it, check it out.

Well that's rather simple, not invade Russia.

Though I think we should all be glad Hitler was in charge of Nazi Germany, since his craziness led to their downfall.

Ironically, if the assassination was successful, a more competent and equally ruthless man may have succeeded him.

The whole Operation Valkyrie people didn't seem to put much thought into what would happen if Hitler actually died.

TheGoose · Fri Dec 26, 2008 2:11 am

I think that once they killed Hitler, they were going to put someone in power that they could trust and then surrender to the Allies. Operation Valkyrie, itself, was a backup plan for Hitler just in cause he did die. The people who were trying to kill him were just trying to put it into action, change it to meet their ends, and then surrender.