much has been made of Bryan Singer’s decision to film Valkyrie in English. that’s right, a German historical drama…in English. wherever you fall on the fence of that argument, try to put it aside if you can. while troubled, Valkyrie has a lot going for it. first off, the cast is top-notch, and like Defiance, the tale centers on a historically significant figure which provides a distinct entry point into a rarely explored aspect of World War II. unlike Defiance, Valkyrie has the benefit of re-uniting Christopher McQuarrie and Bryan Singer, the duo behind The Usual Suspects and The Way of the Gun…well, OK Singer had nothing to do with the latter.

the point is, these two understand the fundamentals of a pot-boiler, and they play around with historical drama in a very interesting, and, more importantly, engaging way. The story of Claus von Stauffenberg and the attempt on Hitler’s life is the stuff of legend, and the film is paced in such a way to keep you hooked despite knowing the ultimate outcome. Cruise’s likeness to von Stauffenberg is uncanny, and he manages to hold things down (despite some of the claims coming from the von Stauffenberg estate).

unlike Defiance, Singer and McQuarrie rely on their own strengths to engage the viewer. the plot is thick and full of twists, and in true McQuarrie fashion, almost confusingly so. Singer brings a stylistic look to the film that is unlike any other World War II film of late. it’s not a great move, in fact it’s almost a bit too stylized, but ultimately it succeeds in providing distinction — something that is important in the already bloated WWII genre.

however, it’s important to note that i watched this in less than ideal circumstances, so i really should give it a second look. the good news is, i want to give it a second look, so that’s saying something. i’m giving this one a middle ground review until i can give it another spin and dig deeper.

3 stars

i caught Defiance a few weeks ago, and was ultimately disappointed. don’t get me wrong, Craig is a formidable actor. i really enjoyed his turn in Munich and what i’ve seen of his bond has been good (hint: i’m not a fan of the bond series). the problem really falls in the hands of Zwick and Frohman’s screenplay. the subject matter is juicy, and has all the elements of a uniquely engaging tale of survival. what we get instead is a detached struggle film.

the story centers on the four Bielski brothers during German occupied Poland. the brothers led a group of Polish Jews into hiding deep within the Belarussian forest. the story itself is compelling, but something just doesn’t quite gel. there is one interesting scene of mass hysteria induced revenge when the group captures, and subsequently tortures, a German soldier. strong themes of brotherhood and betrayal permeate the film, but it ultimately falls flat, feeling oddly familiar. it’s as if the film, which is based upon an original concept, somehow manages to appropriate enough of the typical war-movie DNA to end up feeling like a retread.

case in point, during one battle sequence, Zwick borrows heavily from the slo-mo/violence/ears ringing cliche, and it ultimately does nothing to pull us further into this story. instead, it reminds the viewer that we’ve seen this before, and more importantly, it’s growing old. i won’t pretend to be a historical expert when it comes to the Bielskis, but even so, one cannot help but feel as though there are some serious cinematic liberties being taken here.

apart from a few inspired sequences, utterly forgettable, which is disappointing from someone like Ed Zwick (then again, he was responsible for The Last Samurai). if you’re a big Craig fan and don’t mind revisiting war movie cliches, give Defiance a spin. otherwise, skip it.

2 stars