Has Tom lost the plot?

Bryan Singer's wartime thriller suffers from the fact that we all know that the attempt by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise ) to assassinate Hitler (David Bamber) failed.
The only surprise is that so many people were in on the conspiracy and it came so close to success.
Unfortunately, Singer is uninterested in exploring the issues or characters. A fine, mostly British cast is wasted on roles which are too simplistic to warrant them turning up.

Under-powered: Tom Cruise, far left, is out of his depth in Valkyrie

Tom Wilkinson comes off best, as a canny officer trying to cover himself against every eventuality.
Cruise can be great when playing characters who are fiercely driven, such as the self-help guru in Magnolia or the aggressive sports agent Jerry Maguire. But here he is under-powered and out of his depth.

 

The script doesn't give him much to work with  -  we never understand Von Stauffenberg's aristocratic roots or his political beliefs  -  but Cruise is outclassed by a supporting cast that includes Carice van Houten (from the superior wartime thriller Black Book), Bill Nighy and Kenneth Branagh.
Symptomatic of Cruise's shortcomings is the fact he can't be bothered to change his American accent, which makes him seem like a Hollywood interloper.
Virtually everyone else sounds English, although a few of the baddies, Hitler included, go for 'Allo 'Allo! German.
I was never bored, and the period detail is lovingly observed; but there is a sense of an opportunity missed.
Does this picture tell us anything we didn't know, apart from that late on, when Hitler was losing his grip and the war, some of his former supporters turned against him? I fear not.
Verdict: Top Gun with jackboots