| Valkyrie [DVD] [2008] | ![Valkyrie [DVD] [2008]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512Z5FbkLrL._SL160_.jpg) | Director: Bryan Singer
Actors: Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp, Eddie Izzard
Studio: MGM Home Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: £19.99
Buy New: £4.99
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Rating:  97 reviews
Format: Anamorphic, PAL
Languages: English (Audio Description), English (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 121 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5039036041348
ASIN: B001U8A55Q
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: June 8, 2009
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Simply outstanding June 12, 2009
J. Champs (United Kingdom)
25 out of 26 found this review helpful
As an expert on Nazi Germany, having studied the subject for over 35 years, having grown to understand its causes and motivations and how these lead to an appalling - yet well stated intent - to massacre and conquer, this film simply captivates and overwhelms. I had heard a great deal of criticism levelled at Tom Cruise for attempting to play a 6ft 2 Colonel who is regarded as the chief hero of the German resistance.
However, with one tiny inaccuracy at the start of the film, it proceeded in its relentless journey to impress time after time, with its locations, infinitesimal attention to detail which can only be described as a triumph of research and its utterly moving telling of a story doomed to fail from the day it was conceived.
If ever there was a tale about how not to carry out a military coup this is it. Endless good intentions utterly ruined by a total failure of communications.
I found the scene at The Berghof, when Stauffenberg has to get Hitler to sign the Walkure amendment to enable the plan to take shape, simply unbearable in its tension. Every member of the senior German government was instantly recognisable to me without any names being used and most of them not speaking, they were that superbly portrayed and chosen. The exceptional detail of the Berghof layout was just awe-inspiring.
The aircraft scene (which there is an interesting documentary about on the disc) is again outstanding, this is exactly how Hitler travelled. Even the way everyone reluctantly puts out their cigarettes (Hitler loathed smoking)as he arrives. The focus on a mosquito biting a guard - emphasising the sultry summer heat and mosquito infested Rastenburg site was genius. You didn't have to do it, but in doing so, for detail freaks like me, this was extraordinary.
The acting was outstanding, simple as that. I may not get an Oscar or any awards, but I regard this film as one of the finest historical recreations ever made.
To all involved thank you. I and several others were in floods of tears at the end when I saw this twice at the cinema, and already three times on Blu-Ray. Never mind the digital copy that sits on my iPhone so I can bore others to death at will.
I cannot say anything bad about this film. It was a risk to make it, asking for massive criticism and yet its sensitivity, detail and accuracy, especially using (even if unintentionally in one case) the actual locations where possible, just made it as near perfect as can be reasonable 65 years past the event.
Who Knew??? May 25, 2009
F. S. L'hoir (Irvine, CA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I watched the Blu-ray version of this film on my son's gigantic TV, and I must say that I was blown away by the clarity of the images, especially when the cinematographer contrasted the prevailing grey of the uniforms with the blood-red flags (Some of these shots, in a miniature sense, were worthy of Leni Riefenstal).
I thought that the scenes set in the teletype pool were especially effective, with row upon row of women reading the copy, and one or more raising her hand tentatively when a message of importance came in for the officer-in-charge to scrutinize. In a movie about a wartime assassination plot, one doesn't ordinarily think about such essential matters as communication. This added detail contributed to the believability of the film, which hinges thematically on communication and its lack. The suspense derives from a sense of dread, knowing the outcome (Having stood in that ghastly room with the meat-hooks when visiting Berlin, I was really dreading the end, but the director handled the scene discreetly; hence the PG rating.).
Other than the always-handsome Tom Cruise, I had no idea who was in the cast since I could not read the elongated printing that is used on the back of DVD covers (and I had not yet read the reviews on Amazon, nor had I seen the pictures that Amazon.co.uk has provided). About a quarter of the way into the film, however, I exclaimed, "Good Grief! Is that Kenneth Brannagh?" (Not being one of his fans, my son had no idea.) Only a certain intonation of voice gave him away, since Brannagh, who looks about 20 pounds heavier than the last time I saw him, usually loses himself in whatever part he plays.
By the time the end credits rolled, I was astounded that other roles had been acted by Bill Nighy, Eddie Izzard, Terence Stamp, and Tom Hollander. I have admired each of them in many previous films, but the fact that they immersed themselves into their characters so deeply and seamlessly as to be unrecognizable attests to their ability as actors of the highest calibre. My only thought during the film was a subliminal "good acting. I wonder who they are?" i think I appreciated the film all the more because of their total anonymity.
5 stars it's that good!! June 17, 2009
S. Jones (wales)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
For me the best film of the year by far. The cast although surprising ! did an excellent job and in Blueray form the cinematography is stunning and the general atmosphere of the film does an excellent job of immersing you into the gripping story.
Tom Cruise has thrown himself into the role and really is outstanding.
I have given this 5 stars and I really do think it's that good, the extras on the bluray are fascinating in particular the Valkerie Legacy documentary
Taut and compact thriller - very much a movie rather than a historical study March 8, 2009
Barney McGrew (UK)
59 out of 71 found this review helpful
Tom Cruise stars as Colonel Von Staffenberg in this semi-factual account of the most notorious of all wartime plots to assassinate Adolf Hitler and end WWII. Cruise portrays Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, a wealthy aristocrat who lost an eye and a hand while fighting for Germany during World War II. Stauffenberg became the key man in a large-scale conspiracy that set out to assassinate the Nazi leader and seize control of the German government. The film's main event is the assassination attempt that took place on July 20, 1944, at the Wolf's Lair; Hitler's Eastern Front military headquarters located in what is now Poland. The film examines the preparation for the assassination, its implementation and the attempted coup that followed. The interest isn't in the final results -- it's the details of what happens along the way that matter.
Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects) directs with his trademark economical flair; there is no fat on this movie and the predominantly British cast all acquit themselves well. Tom Wilkinson, Kenneth Cranham, Terence Stamp and the ubiquitous Bill Nighy are just some of the accomplished cast, which also features comedian Eddie Izzard in an unusual but inspired piece of casting. The action is sparing but consequently the film's intensity is maintained throughout, as the band of disillusioned conspirators gradually move towards their goal.
Much has been made of Cruise's willingness to participate in this relatively low-key project, and of the director's decision that the actor were to speak in their own accents during the movie. However, I didn't feel that the latter detracted from the power of the performances nor did Cruise seem out of place as the mutilated and enigmatic Staffenburg; in my humble opinion. I was also disturbed but intrigued by the film's historical aspects, as I had little knowledge of the Staffenburg plot or any of its participants prior to watching this film. Critical reception seems to have been mixed, but all I can say is that I would recommend this as an edgy historical thriller, with a decent cast and high production values.
DVD extras include The Valkyrie Legacy', a fairly lengthy documentary from The History Channel. Historians and spokesmen for the German Resistance Memorial Centre talk about the events dramatized in the film. we even hear from two of Von Stauffenberg's children, one of whom was born in a concentration camp.
Nice Uniforms December 9, 2009
E. Smith (Edinburgh, Scotland)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'd read the less than enthusiastic "professional" reviews, so wasn't expecting too much, but was very pleasantly surprised. The video quality is excellent and the attention to detail generally seemed pretty high to me. There are also some great and loud sound effects.
Tom's accent wasn't nearly as off-putting as some say, and the many British actors put very good performances as well. I was impressed by seeing the different uniforms, sets and equipment in such clarity, which made a nice change.
I'm not at all sure that the hokey gunfight at the end was anything other than Hollywood fiction, but apart from that it seemed fairly close to what I know about the plot.
Finally, it was good to see Germans being portrayed as humans and in a positive light for once, rather than the usual sausage-eating, beer-swilling, cartoon Nazi cannon fodder we usually see (thank you Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan).
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