BOTTOM LINE: Well crafted and surprisingly tense thriller based on a true story about the last known assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler during the final months of World War II, featuring an all-star cast led by a very capable, if not totally believable Tom Cruise.

THE GOOD: “Valkyrie” is a strong thriller, that surprisingly becomes the most tense in its quieter moments. Given the subject matter about a group of high ranking German military officers who seek a new path for Germany by assassinating Hitler and forming a new Government, you automatically want to see them succeed, even though they ultimately do not, and it is in this point that most of the genuine tension and drama is raised in this film. Tom Cruise plays Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, the man who led the failed July 20 plot to not only kill Hitler by bombing him in his bunker but to also stage a coup. Ironically, Stauffenberg has to get the executive order to put “Operation Valkyrie” in to effect modified (a plan to deal with an uprising in the event of Hitler’s death) by Hitler himself in order to carry out his plans to assassinate him and stage a coup. In one great scene with a subtly tense Stauffenberg watching on, Hitler signs the executive order without really reading it, trusting Stauffenberg’s moral and valued character within the German army. As Stauffenberg sets about putting his plan in motion with his conspirators, he is faced with a number of tense situations as he seeks to gain support from key officials. In these tense dialogue sequences, Stauffenberg takes huge risks by letting certain individuals know about what he is planning in order to get them on side. When he arrives to deliver the bomb, nothing goes according to plan with the venue chosen for the bomb changed at the last minute, decreasing the chance of success but to which Stauffenberg cannot stop as he has already armed the bomb. The well executed build-up of tension by director Bryan Singer at all of these moments is to be commended as he has crafted a subtle yet strong thriller that will keep you hooked on the plight of these characters. The film has a very noble theme that explores what it means to be a patriot, with the obvious statement being that a citizen should do what is right for their country, and not by their Government. Singer has assembled a very strong cast, led by Tom Cruise who does his absolute best to portray a vulnerable yet heroic soldier in Stauffenberg. Bill Nighy is excellent as the indecisive General Olbricht, with Tom Wilkinson and Terence Stamp delivering authority in their roles as General Fromm and Ludwig Beck respectively. Kenneth Branagh has a smaller supporting role in Major-General Tresckow who tries to assassinate Hitler in one of the opening scenes and is extremely fortunate to not be discovered when the bomb fails to explode. “Valkyrie” is a well crafted, tense thriller that will not disappoint, made all the more poignant that it is based on events that actually occurred.

THE BAD: Although it is obvious that Tom Cruise is doing everything he can to make his character and his plight believable (and he should be noted for doing so), the film ultimately suffers by having a star of his overwhelming presence in the film. Given the ensemble nature of the cast, Tom Cruise sticks out like a sore thumb and he ultimately cannot help but look like Hollywood-star Tom Cruise as opposed to blending in with the remainder of the cast. Hollywood always this problem, as producers feel they need a star presence to guarantee box office, but they would have been better served if they had a well known character actor play the part of the real-life Stauffenberg, given that the real man is considered a hero in German history; Cruise, whether fairly or unfairly, brings a lot of baggage to the role with his more recent loopy reputation (hence the reason why the Germans objected to his casting).