The Red Right Hand
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VALKYRIE
Many Saw Evil. They Dared To Stop It.

Director
Bryan Singer

Starring
Tom Cruise
Kenneth Branagh
Bill Nighy
Tom Wilkinson
Terence Stamp
Christian Berkel
Eddie Izzard

Toward the close of World War II there was a great deal of disenchantment within the German military. As such, several assassination attempts were carried out, in an effort to remove Hitler from power; the closest attempt is the focus of this feature. The historical accuracy of the plot seems to be fairly spot-on, detailing Col. Von Stauffenberg's [Cruise] redeployment to Tunisia, subsequent loss of limb and eye and return to Germany. Once in the inner circle of the Wehrmacht, Stauffenberg is introduced to fellow high-ranking officers without ties to the political Nazi party, who share the common interest of restoring Germany and proposing a truce with the Allies. It's a little difficult to really settle into this film as we know that they obviously failed and as such would be caught and executed but thanks largely to the intensity portrayed by the actors, you seem to waive this truth in favour of being entertained by the drama; the same thing happened in Titanic.

Unlike most, I am not an idiot; I understand that not every German was a Nazi; I know that not even all Nazis [soldiers] were Nazis [supporters of the National Socialist Party]. Some of my greatest friends have been German and Germany remains one of the nicest countries I have ever visited and my favourite language to study. Any film like this is going to be smothered with reprehensible bias and as such, I think it will suffer heavily within the critical circles and general public. So let's deal with the negative aspects first. The film's pace is one that relies heavily on audience investment. I don't doubt people will cry out that this film was boring and slow (probably fans of fucking Pearl Harbour) but its excellence lies in its subtlety, the brooding and paranoia that crippled a country's ability to think and act against a rising Government. Then there's the fact that the film could have done with an extra twenty minutes or half an hour to fully flush out the supporting cast but that's a matter open for debate. Finally there was Hitler's inner-circle. We only really see Hitler once or twice and his closest advisors even less but all I kept thinking was Der Untergang did it so much better and to be honest, the same applies to this entire production, Der Untergang was a film made by the German people, in German, casting the best people for the job, humanising (though not exonerating) every key character.

On the plus side, Valkyrie successfully infuses a prowess that lavishly boasts scenic settings, enticing drama and immense production design. As far as war-time conspiracy plots go, this one is fairly decent although a little by-the-books. The only stark difference being that, for the most part, they would have succeeded were it not for unforeseeable circumstances and the inactions of a few individuals. On top of the visual imagery, the acting is all superbly enthralling and although the female contributions are kept to a minimum I really shouldn't complain because there isn't a great deal of room for that sort of element - not unless you want to deviate from historical realism. All-in-all, this film in no way supports the Nazis, nor does it glorify them, it simply tries to achieve what the conspirators set out to achieve: ensure the world knew that not every German supported Hitler.

Now it's time for a little rant. I hate the way Hitler is portrayed in films, it's like we haven't shaken loose the propaganda of our Fathers and Grandfathers. Hitler wasn't this hunched, evil little weasel (well, he was), he was a person and the more you demonise him the harder it is to accept he actually existed. I have, at present, only seen two credible performances of Adolf Hitler; the first is Bruno Ganz in Der Untergang, who portrayed Hitler as this volatile old man who had this peculiar gentle side to certain things/individuals. Secondly there was Noah Taylor in the lesser known 2002 release, Max - a film that highlighted Hitler's entry to politics and relationship with the Jewish artist, Max Rothman. I think one of the reasons we portray him so evilly is to 1. visually balance the man to his actions and 2. to quell the truth that like all terrifying dictators, he was borne out of necessity and that, ultimately, we made him. It sounds ridiculous to suggest it but the only reason Hitler was given any credit and voice was because after the Allies won World War I, we battered the hell out of the losers, making them compensate us for our loses. To quote The Dark Knight, "You squeezed them, you hammered them to the point of desperation. And in their desperation they turned to a man they didn't fully understand." But that's a personal point, so pay it no mind.

Release Date:
23rd January 2009

The Scene To Look Out For:
**Spoilers here boys and girls**
Again, a credit to all the actors involved, once the assassination attempt is carried out, Stauffenberg lands in Berlin to find everything remarkably calm. On calling General Friedrich Olbricht [Nighy], he discovers that the notification of Hitler's death has not gone out and the plan is now four hours behind schedule. Stauffenberg barks down the phone before slamming the receiver down on the table, composing himself and ordering Olbricht to carry out Operation Valkyrie. A simple scene but you'd be surprised at the levels of tension on screen when you know full-well that Hitler isn't dead... unless you weren't paying attention in school.

Notable Characters:
Three performances in particular come to mind. First of all, we have Tom Cruise. Cruise the man is a tiny fool who annoys the hell out of me but Cruise the actor is an incredible talent that I have a great deal of respect for. His performance here is getting a lot of flak in the States - you should read what Roger Friedman said before the film even came out, what a load of horse shit - but I genuinely thought he did a good job and although a little wooden, still managed to convey all the necessary elements of a determined conspirator. In all honesty, every single performance (bar the 'famous ones' such as Hitler, Goering, etc) were extremely well played, no matter how small the role; particularly Tom Wilkinson as General Friedrich Fromm (a General who decided to sit on the fence and await the outcome) and Kenneth Brannagh as Major-General Henning von Tresckow (a co-conspirator who is reassigned to the frontlines before the 20th July assassination attempt).

Highlighted Quote:
"The point of replacing Hitler is to negotiate a truce with the Allies. The Allies, I suspect, would be more amenable to a truce if we offer it to them before they get to fucking Berlin!"

In A Few Words:
"A very well executed telling of the 20th July plotters and the consequences of their actions; Der Untergang is still a far superior release"

Total Score:
8/10


Matthew Stogdon