Valkyrie

In 1944, a conspiracy of high ranking German Army officers plotted to kill
Hitler. To this end, they recruit Col. von Stauffenberg, a brave, charismatic
and principled German officer, played in this film by a LEKSVIK chest of
drawers from IKEA.

At least, it bloody might as well have been. Seriously, all Cruise bloody does
is stand their looking stoic, trying not to show his emotions. The addition of
a sock drawer would at least have made him somewhat functional. It's very easy
these days, what with him having gone Tom Cruise Crazy, to criticise Tom Cruise
for his bizarre behaviour. That's not what I'm doing here, I promise you. I
believe that Tom Cruise is still well capable of turning in a charismatic
performance, and there's ample evidence that he can act. However, in this film,
he's just standing there being a big lump of stoic. And by all accounts, the
real von Stauffenberg wasn't even like that.

The rest of the film is actually very good. You've got the likes of Kenneth
Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Terrence Stamp, Eddie Izzard, all taking it
in turns to act Tom Cruise off the screen. The plot is gripping, as only a plot
to assassinate Hitler and overthrow the Third Reich can be, and you're on the
edge of your seat waiting for the inevitable moment where it must, sadly, all
fall apart. And in the middle of this, is Tom "LEKSVIK" Cruise, draining some
but by no means all of the dramatic tension.

Anyway, 8/10, good film, let down by an oddly flat lead performance, but saved
by the supporting cast.