Valkyrie (2008)

Athena, goddess of wisdom: There was outrage over the casting of Cruise due to his involvement in Scientology. While I cannot call Scientology wisdom in any respect, I am also appalled by its blatant persecution in a society which prides itself on religious tolerance. As for the movie itself, I was pleased by the concept. Even 60 years after the war, it's still rare to find an American movie that humanizes the Germans. This one joins the likes of Schindler's List in portraying the moral struggles of the Germans themselves. Next I would love to see a movie about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Thumbs up.

Ares, god of war: I don't really know who that is, but one thing I do know about is loyalty. When a soldier's gotta decide between loyalty to leader and loyalty to country, it's nothing easy. There could have been more action, but the suspense makes up. Thumbs up.

Dionysos, god of wine: I risk unpopularity here, but I wanted more. Tom Cruise's character, Col. Staffenberg, is too confident in his treason. An opportunity for deeper character development is sorely missed. Portrayal of Jewish suffering is also left out, apart from a mention at the beginning. This makes the film less a moving drama like Schindler's List than a suspense thriller like The Manchurian Candidate. The tragic failure of the assassination thus fails to provoke an emotional catharsis. A thriller is what director Singer set out to make, and if that's what you want then it's fine. But as for me, thumbs down.

Two thumbs up, one thumb down

VALKYRIE
There were over fifteen attempts on Hitler's life by his own German people. This is the story of one of them. Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise), a colonel in the Nazi army, becomes involved in a secret circle committed to saving Germany and Europe from destruction at the hands of the Allies. To establish a truce, they must kill the Führer.
Based on historical events.
Director: Bryan Singer
Cast: Tom Cruise, Christian Berkel, Kenneth Branagh, Kevin McNally, Carice van Houten, Bill Nighy, David Schofield, Terence Stamp, Eddie Izzard
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 63%
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DID YOU KNOW? Homer's Iliad, one the great epics of the Greeks, actually portrays their enemies in a far better light than the Greeks themselves. Hector, the Trojan hero, is a paragon of virtue, while Achilles, the Greeks' best fighter, is ruled by resentment.