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Valkyrie (2008)
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In 1944 a group of disillusioned German officers led by the aristocratic Claus von Stauffenberg hatched a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler and forge a truce with the Allies. X-Men's Bryan Singer (working again with The Usual Suspects writer Christopher McQuarrie) turns this footnote in German history into a predictable wartime drama, which is somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer star power of Tom Cruise and by Singer's breakneck direction. Cruise is supported by the cream of British acting talent (including Kenneth Branagh, Terence Stamp and a top-notch Bill Nighy) as his co-conspirators. However, we learn nothing significant about Cruise's eye-patched hero, and character shading and subtlety is largely sacrificed in an attempt to ratchet up the suspense and keep the action epic. But if you can ignore the dodgy German-accented English (and the fact that the outcome is already known) and accept it as a straightforward B-movie assassination thriller, then Valkyrie is a reasonably satisfying effort. AJ
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Tell us what you think
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Running time
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115min
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Country of origin
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US / Ger
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Genre
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Second World War Drama based on a true story
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Original language
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English / German
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Screenplay
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Christopher McQuarrie, Nathan Alexander
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Theatrical distributor
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20th Century Fox
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UK cinema certificate
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12A
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UK cinema release date
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January 2009
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Subtitling information
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In English, German with subtitles
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Film certification logos reproduced by kind permission of BBFC |
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