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So begins a tense, complicated series of plots and tricks, and on a certain level, it is amazing to see just how close the conspirators came to pulling off their plan. Not only does Stauffenberg succeed in getting Hitler (David Bamber) to sign the revised contingency plans, he also manages, after a false start or two, to plant a bomb under the table in one of Hitler's conference rooms. If you are any sort of history junkie, then you have probably known about the bomb under the table for years—but it is still somewhat startling to see this historical detail brought to life, and to see Hitler himself get lifted into the air, just like any other man, when the blast goes off.

Carice Van Houten plays Claus's wife, Nina

As we know, however, the blast does not kill Hitler; it doesn't even wound him all that badly. But Stauffenberg doesn't know this—when he sees the debris from the explosion, he takes that as a sign of success, period—so he and his fellow conspirators go ahead with the rest of their plan, using their own German troops to seize control of Berlin. For a few hours, everything seems to be going their way—but we know it is only a matter of time before the truth catches up with them.

To Singer's credit, the film is remarkably suspenseful, even though we know pretty much how it will end. And why not? The best movies work even when we see them a second or third time, knowing all that is going to happen, and Valkyrie certainly has a few moments that will make audience members gasp when they see it for the first time, at least. What the movie lacks is some of the zest, the zing, that we might expect from a film billed as the reunion of the minds behind The Usual Suspects.

Director Bryan Singer (right) on the set with Cruise

Also, the film doesn't seem to draw any larger theme or purpose from its story; it just presents the facts, more or less, and lets them sit there. Such an approach would be fine for, say, a TV-movie, and this is such a fascinating story that I'm glad it has been told at all. But what is the audience supposed to take away from it? In a classic movie like The Killing, for example, the downer ending is a cynical joke, a reminder that we humans aren't in control of our lives even though we think we are. Other movies might play the failure of the conspirators as tragedy, to show how these would-be heroes were brought down by personal character flaws.

Valkyrie, on the other hand, just tells us what happened—and while it doesn't make a big cosmic point, it does present two facts, almost in passing, that a Christian viewer might want to process. First, Stauffenberg is a devout Catholic, and more than once, Singer draws our attention to the cross he wears around his neck (along with the wedding ring for which there is no longer a finger to wear it). Second, when Hitler survives the attack, he tells the German people that it was Providence which saved him. So where was God when the conspirators laid their plans, and then suffered for their failure? The movie doesn't pursue the question, but it deserves some credit for acknowledging the role that faith did play in this story.

Talk About It

1. Do you think it was morally appropriate to try to kill Adolf Hitler? Would it have been morally appropriate not to try to kill him? What reasons would you give? (Note: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, author of The Cost of Discipleship, was executed for his connection to the conspirators, though he is not depicted in the film.)
2. Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg says early on that it is possible to serve Germany or the Fuhrer, but not both. Why does he say this? When have you had to choose between serving a community—a nation, a church, a school—and serving its leaders? How can you tell when a leader should be disobeyed? How does that line up with Romans 13:1-7?
3. Is it possible to see the hand of God in this story anywhere? How do you respond when people like Hitler claim that Providence seems to be on their side?

The Family Corner

Valkyrie is rated PG-13 for violence (planes attack a military base, a bomb goes off in a conference room, several people are executed by firing squads, and so on) and brief strong language (a few four-letter words).

Photos © Copyright Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

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