Valkyrie
Tom Cruise wants you to come out of “Valkyrie” talking about the story and not his performance. He delivers his lines with a minimum of fuss, trying to make himself a mere cog in director Bryan Singer’s machine. It’s not an entirely wrongheaded approach by the embattled star. Singer fashions a lean and propulsive thriller out of a failed attempt by the German military brass to assassinate Adolf Hitler. He envelops you in the logistics of the doomed coup. “Valkyrie” suggests that if the conspirators had acted more boldly, they might have toppled Hitler despite their failure to kill him. This revelation doesn’t carry the emotional weight that it should, but nonetheless it’s easy to root for people who tried to rid the world of the 20th century’s worst villain. You’d root harder, though, if Cruise were a better actor. He’s not inept; he’s just empty. He plays Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg as a stoic man of action, a choice that doesn’t accentuate his strengths. He’s more interesting when he explores the dark side of his feral intensity, as in “Magnolia” or “Collateral.” As the good guy Stauffenberg, he comes off like a super-competent Boy Scout. Stauffenberg was maimed by Hitler — he lost a hand, an eye and two fingers while fighting for the Fuhrer in North Africa. It’s an obvious entry point for an actor to explore Stauffenberg’s wounded psyche, yet Cruise treats the disability like a minor annoyance. “Valkyrie” might have been fascinating, but thanks to Cruise, it’s merely diverting.