The majority of blockbuster historical epics come under at least some form of criticism for playing fast and loose with the events that inspired the story, but that was ironically the last thing on anyone’s mind when Valkyrie hit theaters in 2008.
Even then, there wasn’t much furor over the casting of the none-more-American Tom Cruise – retaining his accent and everything – playing Claus von Stauffenberg, the orchestrator of a failed plot to assassinate Hitler at the height of the Second World War. Instead, the backlash focused on the star’s status as the face of Scientology, leading to protests being held in multiple countries around the world.
The German authorities had already been cautious of allowing a $90 million Hollywood production to shoot in several locations with deep and meaningful historical significance, but it was Cruise’s ties to what was designated as a cult by politicians that stirred up a hornet’s nest, with German and American screenings both being affected by anti-Scientology protestors.
If you drown out all of the external noise, then what you’re left with is a solid-if-unspectacular war story that does a solid job of relaying an incredible true story as mass-marketed entertainment, even if Valkyrie never once comes close to maximizing the undoubted dramatic and narrative tension that comes with retelling a tale that could have changed the course of history forever had it been pulled off.
Regardless, streaming subscribers are willing to give it a pass and launch it towards the top end of the iTunes worldwide watch-list per FlixPatrol, with 15 years having quietened down the opposition significantly.