Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Valkyrie Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 3, 2009

Brian Singer’s period thriller “Valkyrie” (2008) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox-UK. The disc boasts an excellent AVC-encoded transfer as well as a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The British distributors have also provided an abundance of informative supplemental features, including Kevin Burns’ near two-hour documentary “The Valkyrie Legacy” (2008). Region B/C “locked”.

Attacked

Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) is a true patriot. He realizes that under Hitler’s regime Germany has no future. While stationed in North Africa, he is badly injured and consequently flown back to Berlin. There, together with other high-ranking military officials, he begins plotting Hitler’s (David Bamber) assassination.

Stauffenberg’s plan is complicated. It requires the initiation of Valkyrie, a massive contingency operation, which enables the Reserve Army to take control over Germany. Together with General Beck (Terence Stamp), General Olbricht (Bill Nighy), General Tresckow (Kenneth Branagh) and Dr. Goerdeler (Kevin McNally) - all members of the German Resistance - Stauffenberg hopes to overthrow the Nazi government.

The Resistance members agree to have Hitler, together with the head of the SS, Himmler (Matthias Freihof), assassinated in his highly guarded Wolf’s Lair. Stauffenberg is to deliver a sophisticated bomb during a secret meeting of the Nazi elite.

Together with his assistant, Lieutenant Haeften (Jamie Parker), Stauffenberg attends the meeting but quickly notices that Himmler is not present. Nonetheless, he places the bomb and leaves. Then, assuming that Hitler has been terminated, Stauffenberg heads back to Berlin where Valkyrie is initiated.

General Fromm, (Tom Wilkinson) head of the Reserve Army, who has remained neutral during the early stages of Valkyrie hoping to join the side that prevails, is arrested. Most of the SS elite are also detained. General Werner, who is now in control with the Reserve Army, heads to Minister Goebbels’ (Harvey Friedman) office to arrest him - after he is removed, Berlin would be controlled by Stauffenberg and his men. However, when he enters, Minister Goebbels announces that Hitler has survived the assassination attempt alive. Operation Valkyrie has failed.

In 1995, Brian Singer directed The Usual Suspects (1995), a terrific thriller about five criminals trying to outsmart each other. A year later, the film went on to win two Oscars - Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Kevin Spacey) and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Christopher McQuarrie). Valkyrie is director Singer’s seventh feature film. Its cast is comprised of mostly European actors, some of which appeared in Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Downfall (2004), a terrific film about the last days of Hitler. The main protagonist, however, is played by Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise.

As it was the case with Downfall, Valkyrie has inspired plenty of critics to speak up. Some have come forward claiming that Tom Cruise’s impersonation of Colonel Stauffenberg was “unconvincing and stiff” (Claudia Puig, USA Today) while others expressed disappointment with his American accent (Peter Travers, RollingStone). There are also those who liked the film (Roger Ebert) as well as those who thought that it could have been significantly better (Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle).

I liked Valkyrie. I thought that I was well paced, lacking the sour moralistic preaching of Spike Lee’s Miracle at St. Anna (2008), and told in a manner that neither glorifies nor exonerates the Nazi officials who attempted to assassinate Hitler. I also thought that the emphasis on detail throughout the film was astounding.

A liked Tom Cruise’s performance as well, its intensity in particular. This said, however, the actor seems to be rubbing a lot of people the wrong way as of late, and Valkyrie and its subject matter appear to have provided the perfect excuse for many to attack his persona.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that Valkyrie is far from being one of those overt propaganda pieces Hollywood likes to produce every couple of years to spoon-feed American audiences with “truths” about WW2, Germany and Germans. Simply put, Valkyrie is nothing more than a good period thriller about a group of men who placed their country above their allegiance to an evil dictator and his regime.

Valkyrie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Brian Singer's Valkyrie arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox-UK.

I like this transfer. Contrast and detail are very pleasing, clarity terrific, and edge-enhancement hardly an issue of concern. The color-scheme is also notably strong – yellows, blues, reds, greens, whites and blacks are all lush and well saturated (the panoramic vistas from the African desert for instance look excellent). This said, I noticed a minor dose of digital noise during a few indoor scenes – take a look at the scene where Stauffenberg, his wife and his kids head to the basement of their house after they hear the bomb sirens – but nothing that will seriously detract from your viewing experience. Furthermore, I did not notice any heavy noise reduction to report in this review. On the contrary, Valkyrie looks quite natural. Finally, the actual transfer is notably healthy – I did not spot any debris, scratches, dust, or stains. To sum it all up, I like what 20th Century Fox have done and have absolutely no problem recommending this Blu-ray disc to you. (Note: This is a Region B/C "locked" release. Therefore, unless you have a native Region-B or Region-Free player, you won't be able to access its content).

Valkyrie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are a number of different audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Descriptive Audio 5.1, Hungarian Dolby Digital 5.1, Russian DTS 5.1 and Ukrainian: Dolby Digital 5.1. 20th Century Fox have also provided the following subtitling options - English HOH, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Hungarian, Hungarian HOH, Russian, Russian HOH, Ukrainian, Ukrainian HOH, Estonian, Lithuanian, and Latvian.

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is very convincing. The rear channels are quite active, the bass full-bodied and punchy, and the high frequencies not overdone. Furthermore, there are a couple of scenes that are likely to test the muscles of your audio equipment (the air attack in the very beginning of Valkyrie), so be careful when you watch the film. This being said, the dialog is crisp, crystal clear and very easy to follow. There are no balance issues to report either. Additionally, I did not detect any pops, cracks, or hissings. To sum it all up, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is as rich, active, and persuasive as I expected it to be.

Valkyrie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Commentary by Tom Cruise, Bryan Singer and Christopher McQuarrie – I listened to the entire commentary and I must say that it is very informative. At times, I even felt that it was far more entertaining that the actual film. There is some great historic data, particularly during the second half of the film/commentary, in regard to the actual locations where Valkyrie was shot etc. (For the record, the commentary is subtitled in English, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian).

Commentary by Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander – The second commentary is slightly more technical. The duo focuses on the history of the project as well as how certain scenes from it were shot. (For the record, the commentary is subtitled in English, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian).

The Journey to Valkyrie – this featurette contains a number of different interviews with cast and crew members where they address the history of Valkyrie. Philipp von Schulthess, Stauffenberg's grandson, also shares his thoughts on the film. (Subtitled in English, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, 1080i, 16 min).

The Road to Resistance: A Visual Guide – Philipp von Schulthess takes us back to Berlin of 1944 and talks about the German Resistance movement. (Subtitled in English, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, 1080i, 9 min).

The African Front Sequence – A short featurette focusing on the technical preparation and execution of the opening sequence from the film. (Subtitled in English, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, 1080i, 7 min).

Taking to the Air – Aerial coordinators, cast and crew members discuss the aircrafts used in Valkyrie. (Subtitled in English, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, 1080i, 8 min).

Recreating Berlin – Another short featurette taking a look at the original locations used in the film. (Subtitled in English, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, 1080i, 7 min).

92nd Street Y: Reel Pieces with Tom Cruise and Bryan Singer – Film scholar Annette Insdorff conducts a rather long interview with Tom Cruise and Bryan Singer where they discuss Valkyrie and its history. (Subtitled in English, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, 480p, 39 min).

The Valkyrie Legacy – A nearly two-hour film by Kevin Burns about the rise and fall of Adolph Hitler, the Third Reich, and the German Resistance. Director Burns provides a terrific summation of the history of Germany, from its darkest moments to its current role as a leader within the European Union. (Subtitled in English, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, 1080p, 115 min).

Valkyrie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Less than a month after its North American premiere, Brian Singer's "Valkyrie" arrives on Blu-ray in the United Kingdom via 20th Century Fox. For their release, the British distributors have provided a better selection of audio tracks as well as subtitle options. We like how this Blu-ray disc looks and sounds – RECOMMENDED.