I had the pleasure, if you can call it that, of reviewing one excellent and one fair documentary on the real Claus von Stauffenberg, both of which were released around the time Valkyrie hit theater screens. The real von Stauffenberg came from a noble background, one immersed in Catholicism, chivalry and a certain moral strictness that sooner rather than later put him at odds with the growing horrors of Nazism. That wealth of background information is glossed over (in fact, it's not really dealt with at all) and instead is hinted at in a sort of prelude where we see von Stauffenberg writing in a personal diary about his dissatisfaction with the war's progress and the general moral decrepitude of the Nazi elite.

After von Stauffenberg is horribly maimed in a battle (he lost one hand, two fingers off the other one, and his left eye), he is returned to the Fatherland where, after his recovery, he becomes, ironically, one of Hitler's inner circle at almost the same time his complaints about the Fuhrer have introduced him to a cadre of coup d'etat planners. Valkyrie lines this all up like a neat little row of dominoes, and it's certainly brisk and at least passably interesting, but there's no emotional gravitas. There's no background on the German aristocracy, a class which made up a lot of the plotters. There's no familial connection to von Stauffenberg in the conspiracy as presented in the film (his Uncle actually was the one who recruited the real Colonel into the plan).

What this film never even attempts to get at is the intellectual zeitgeist of von Stauffenberg, both within the context of his upbringing and later how it developed in him as an adult. This was a man with a strong poetic and almost mythic appreciation for his native land, but one that was diametrically opposed to the superman delusions of Nietzsche and Wagner. Perhaps tempered by his profound Catholic faith, von Stauffenberg was anchored in a "do unto others" ethic that he was convinced was not only his personal salvation, but that of his country as well, especially after the humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles. There's not one whit about any of this in Valkyrie, and certainly a scenarist of Christopher McQuarrie's skill could have (and indeed should have) found a way to incorporate it seamlessly into a discussion or two.

For a film which is ostensibly about a thrilling plot to kill an abominable man who virtually personifies Evil with a capital E, there is a most peculiar serenity and lack of vigor to a lot of Valkyrie. Bryan Singer is always a capable, and sometimes a very skillful, director, and his flowing mise en scene here is as impressive as anything he's done. The camera moves flawlessly through one segment after another, sometimes in surprising ways. In an early scene when von Stauffenberg is being coaxed into the conspiracy by General Olbricht (Bill Nighy), we first see a close-up of a statue of Jesus on the cross, and discern we're in a church. At the end of the scene, the camera tracks back to reveal we're actually in the bombed out ruins of a church, and it is at once a brilliant glyph on the course of the war for the Germans at that point, but also, more subtly, a telling little symbol of von Stauffenberg's own fractured faith.

There are a host of good performances in Valkyrie, which help to keep entropy from spreading too quickly. Chief among these are Nighy, as a conflicted General whose indecision costs the conspiracy valuable time, Terence Stamp as the retired general around whom many of the conspirators gather, and in a kind of fun against type role, Eddie Izzard as a duplicitous communications expert who works at the Wolf's Lair, Hitler's Prussian bunker where the conspirators hope to complete their deadly mission. (It should be noted that Izzard's character's introduction is horribly botched in this film--there seems to be some backstory there that was left on the cutting room floor, and the relationship between him and von Stauffenberg is never fully explained). Kenneth Branagh, looking kind of old and chunky for the first time in his long screen career, is also excellent as one of the main conspirators. Cruise is his typical stalwart self; being a cipher suits his performance style to a tee.

But ultimately a "historical recreation" film like Valkyrie rises and falls on what it reveals about its characters. It can go into complete fiction like, say, JFK, and still come out with a visceral, if pointedly one sided, argument (some would say screed in terms of the Stone film). Or it can stick largely to facts and still provide enough nuanced background in the characters to give a new perspective, as in Good Night and Good Luck, or even Quiz Show. But when the film resolutely refuses to give us any background at all, and simply plops a bunch of characters down to go through the motions, it can't then expect the audience to get up in arms (so to speak) about anything that happens, for good or ill.

In the pop music world, you'll hear hitmakers always talking about "the hook," that riff or repeated element in a song that becomes the anchor around which your memory revolves, hopefully making the tune never leave your brow. About the only hook that Valkyrie had going for it was the unintended hilarity of the German government refusing (at least at first) to give the film access to any locations due to Tom Cruise's famous (some would say infamous at this point) involvement with Scientology, which the Germans consider a totalitarian regime (maybe Hitler was Xenu reincarnated). Aside from the outright comedy of that situation, it actually points up the major problem with Valkyrie--if the film itself doesn't give you anything to sink your teeth into, you're apt to go off on a tangent like its star's putative religion in order to keep your interest engaged. That doesn't bode well for a film like Valkyrie that purports to want to thrill you.

The Blu-ray

Video:
There's a curious desaturated look to most of Valkyrie that, while obviously intentional, deprives this AVC 1.85:1 BD from the sort of visual "pop" that I know a lot of videophiles want in their high definition experiences. If you can go with a yellowish, blanched look, this film offers abundant detail, with impeccable sharpness and a really interesting (if subdued) palette. In fact this desaturation makes the reds all the more abrupt and noticeable, giving an occasional spark to the visual presentation.

Sound:
Valkyrie DTS HD MA 5.1 mix is surprisingly subtle for a film which opens with a slam bang battle sequence. That segment obviously offers immersion and LFE galore, but I was repeatedly impressed throughout the film with some very careful sound design, some bordering almost on the subliminal. Listen, for example, to the brilliant, sporadic use of tympani by composer John Ottman (in fact the film doesn't have a substantial "melodic" music cue until around an hour in)--little LFE "thumps" that are disquieting and help add some adrenalin to a largely lethargic film. Surround channels are used quite effectively, all dialogue is clear and crisp, and the overall mix is subtle and intelligent. DD 5.1 mixes are available in Spanish and French, and subtitles are available in all soundtrack languages, plus Cantonese, Mandarin, Portuguese and Korean.

Extras:
In what may be the first in my history of reviews for DVDTalk, the extras (well, at least one or two of them) get a much higher score than the main feature. The absolutely superb two hour Kevin Burns documentary "The Valkyrie Legacy" is everything this film should have been--a fascinating sociopolitical inspection of what exactly was going on both in Germany as a whole and in von Stauffenberg's conflicted mind and soul, which led to the conspiracy. It's a compelling piece of filmmaking and I highly recommend it. Two decent, if not earth shattering, commentaries are offered, one featuring Cruise, McQuarrie and Singer and another with McQuarrie and his co-writer Nathan Alexander. A sort of cinema verite interview segment with Cruise and Singer at a New York City YMCA is offered, as well as six pretty standard featurettes on everything from recreating wartime Berlin to filming the opening battle sequence to the development of the film itself (the best of these is a neat little 8 minute opus featuring von Stauffenberg's grandson taking us on a tour of various real Valkyrie locations). Finally there is a digital copy included.

Final Thoughts:
If you're looking for slick entertainment that goes by quickly, is certainly well made and well performed, and won't really involve you very much one way or the other, Valkyrie's your ticket. If you're interested in the real story of Valkyrie, picking up this BD for an evening is worth it just to watch the fascinating Burns documentary, so for that reason alone, I recommend you Rent It.