Valkyrie

Some movies are challenged beyond the norm of suspended disbelief because of their subject matter. Take the movie Titanic, for example. You know before the movie starts that the boat is going to sink, but you watch anyway, and you hope that they miss the iceberg and you hope that everything will turn out fine and you buy into the story and the performances and when the boat hits the iceberg you're shocked as if this might have been the story about that other Titanic, the one where everybody lives happily ever after. Valkyrie faces a similar challenge in the subject matter, and the challenge is broadened by The Tom Cruise Controversy.

Challenges made, challenges met; Valkyrie is a winner and Tom Cruise gives a terrific performance.

The context of the story is familiar. Germany is losing the war and dissidents band together to kill Hitler and seize control of the German government. We know how their attempt is going to turn out. The movie takes us through a series of events leading up to the kill and coup sequence and the tension steadily builds as we await the results of the attempt. There's a brief historical retrospective at the film's end about the real people upon whom the film is based.

The Tom Cruise Controversy (wouldn't that be a good name for a band?) has been bandied about in the popular press. They warn us that there were issues filming in Germany, and there were issues with the Church of Scientology, and there are issues with Top Gun Maverick playing a WWII German army colonel.

We ain't got no stinkin' issues. Tom Cruise renders an excellent performance. There are top shelf supporting actors who likewise do an excellent job.

The only problem I had with any portrayal was that of Eddie Izzard, and the problem is mine. Izzard does a great job as a German general in charge of communications at the Wolf's Lair, the Hitler version of Camp David. Eddie Izzard, if you're not familiar, portrays Doug Rich on the terrific but overlooked A&E TV series, The Riches, and Eddie is a stand up comedian. Eddie performs his standup in his choice of garb, that being the short, middle aged transvestite that he is. The first time I saw Eddie perform his stand up on HBO, I had to turn it off after just a few minutes. I had to turn it off not because his act was bad, but because I found my brain unable to grasp what I was seeing: a short, stout, middle aged man with a cockney accent, wearing knee high leather spike heels and and leather shorts and a little leather cap and make up and you get the picture. Now, take that same guy and make him a WWII German general. He does a good job, but I was distracted by the image I had that he would go home from a hard day of general-ing and put on his transvestite clothes and prance around singing "See Vot de Boiz in Ze Bokroom Vill Hav" in a Marlene Dietrich voice.

Even if you haven't seen Eddie Izzard's act, you'll love Valkyrie.