Many saw evil. They dared to stop it.|Dec. 25, 2008|United States | Germany | Italy | Spain | France | Japan | United Kingdom|121 Min.|PG-13
Genre: Drama;History;Thriller;War
Description: During World War II, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg of the Wehrmacht serves in Tunisia, growing increasingly disillusioned with Germany’s future under Hitler’s oppressive rule. His battalion faces an attack by P-40 fighter-bombers from the No. 3 Squadron RAAF, Desert Air Force, leaving Stauffenberg severely injured. He is evacuated back to Nazi Germany to recover. Meanwhile, Hitler visits his military headquarters on the Eastern Front, where General Henning von Tresckow attempts to assassinate him by planting a timebomb disguised as a box of Cointreau on his plane. The bomb fails to detonate, and Hitler safely lands in Berlin. Resistance member General Hans Oster is later arrested by the Gestapo.
While recovering, Stauffenberg is approached by General Friedrich Olbricht to join the German Resistance, replacing Oster. The resistance includes figures like Tresckow, General Ludwig Beck, Dr. Carl Goerdeler, and Field Marshal Erwin von Witzleben. Stauffenberg suggests using Operation Valkyrie, a contingency plan involving the Reserve Army, to seize control of the country. The group modifies the plan to dismantle the Nazi regime after Hitler’s assassination. Stauffenberg’s promotion within the Reserve Army grants him direct access to Hitler, who approves the revised plan without scrutinizing the changes. However, only General Friedrich Fromm, the head of the Reserve Army, can initiate Operation Valkyrie. When offered a leadership role in the Wehrmacht, Fromm declines direct involvement.
Stauffenberg is tasked with assassinating Hitler and Himmler at the Wolf’s Lair. He convinces General Fellgiebel to sever communications after the attempt. On July 15, 1944, Stauffenberg attends a strategy meeting at the Wolf’s Lair with a bomb but aborts the plan as Himmler is absent. Meanwhile, the Reserve Army is mobilized by Olbricht in preparation for the operation.
Cast director: Bryan Singer
Cast actor: Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Carice van Houten, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Cranham, Tom Wilkinson, Thomas Kretschmann, Terence Stamp, Eddie Izzard, Kevin McNally
Original name: Valkyrie