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Jun 23, 2009 Web Exclusive By Nick Hyman

After ruining the return of Superman in Superman Returns, Bryan Singer attempts to do the same with Tom Cruise’s career with Valkyrie. The (kinda) based-on-a-true-story tale focuses on German Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (played by Cruise sans German accent, thankfully), who masterminds a plot to kill Adolf Hitler with the aid of fellow officers played by a rogues’ gallery of cool character actors such as Terence Stamp, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, and Eddy Izzard. Too bad they’re sandwiched inside this inert and dramatically flat movie. Everything feels so awkwardly constructed and contrived, down to Stauffenberg’s de rigueur wife (a waste of Black Book’s excellent Carice van Houten) and kid, who serve as an artificial way of adding to the mild suspense.

Cruise was clearly cast because, well, he’s Tom Cruise and he gets movies made, but his presence here is distracting and out of place. Everything is so clinical and lacking in any emotional resonance, but the action is okay and the explosions are pretty. The Blu-ray edition does include a ton of extras to make those few fans of the film happy. Cruise shows up on the commentary (a rare appearance) with Singer and co-writer Christopher McQuarrie (who also appears on his own track with other writer Nathan Alexander) and you’ll also find a two-hour documentary called The Valkyrie Legacy, five behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a 40-minute discussion between Cruise and Singer. (www.mgm.com/dvd)

Author rating: 4/10