150 Word Review: 'Valkyrie' (2008)
Heil Mary
I don't know why I streamed this straightforward 2008 historical drama about a failed assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler's life. True story. The vibe felt right.
Tom Cruise stars as a wounded Nazi colonel who knows the Führer must be stopped for the good of the world, and Germany. Cruise, sporting a eyepatch, joins a blue chip cast of British actors also playing Nazis, a perfect example of the unsaid Hollywood rule that Nazis must have English accents. In every scene he's in, Cruise looks like he's thinking "Crap, why am I playing a Nazi."
He wants to play a hero, and don't get me wrong: killing Hitler would have made him one. But his character isn't a standard Cruise action figure. Director Bryan Singer appears bored by WW2 and only interested in SS uniforms, which, to be fair, look great. The big takeaway? Fight fascism before it’s too late.