Movie · 2008 · Drama, Thriller, War · 2h 1m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 3.6/10 (405.9K ratings)
Many saw evil. They dared to stop it.
Overview
Wounded in Africa during World War II, Nazi Col. Claus von Stauffenberg returns to his native Germany and joins the Resistance in a daring plan to create a shadow government and assassinate Adolf Hitler. When events unfold so that he becomes a central player, he finds himself tasked with both leading the coup and personally killing the Führer.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.6/10
IMDb: 7.1/10
Letterboxd: 3.35/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 62%
Metacritic: 56
TMDB: 7.0/10
Director
Bryan Singer
Production
Bad Hat Harry Productions, Achte Babelsberg Film, United Artists
Cast
Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp, Tom Wilkinson, Carice van Houten, Kenneth Cranham, Thomas Kretschmann, Suzy Eddie Izzard, Kevin McNally, David Bamber, Tom Hollander, David Schofield, Christian Berkel, Jamie Parker, Ian McNeice, Danny Webb, Bernard Hill, Chris Larkin, Matthew Burton
Where to watch
fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A polished, high-stakes wartime thriller built around a real assassination plot, but it often plays more like procedural suspense than emotional drama. The tension comes from logistics, timing, and inevitability; the downside is that the film can feel restrained and a little bloodless despite the subject matter.
Best for
viewers who like historical thrillers with ticking-clock structure
audiences interested in World War II resistance stories
fans of clean, efficient studio craftsmanship and ensemble casts
people who prefer suspense built from procedure over battlefield spectacle
Skip if
you want a deeply immersive or morally complex portrait of Nazi Germany
you need intense emotional catharsis or big dramatic swings
you’re looking for a gritty, unsettling war film
you dislike historical dramas that prioritize plot mechanics over character depth
Overview
Valkyrie is an unusually slick World War II thriller: less a grand war epic than a tightly wound operation movie. Its best asset is the premise itself, which gives the film a built-in countdown and a sense of fatal momentum. The cast is strong, and the production keeps the machinery of the coup moving with real clarity.
Top Letterboxd reviews
riley · 1316 likes
bluray was $3 at 7/11. only $3 for this shot of tom cruise's ass. greatest god damn $3 i have ever spent. a steal
matt lynch (3★) · 791 likes
Tom Cruise is so completely dedicated to his craft and showing the audience something they've never seen before that he actually went back in time to kill Hitler.
🇵🇱 Steve G 🐝 (3.5★) · 765 likes
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NAZI
Andy Summers 🤠 (4.5★) · 324 likes
Historical dramas usually have one thing going against them, history. How do you build a tension filled plot when everyone knows the outcome? That was Bryan Singer's biggest problem in the making of this brilliantly constructed thriller than focused on the unsuccessful attempt by a leading group of German officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler in the Summer of 1944. Bringing together an all star cast that would put most productions to shame, Singer made us invest our faith in these… more Historical dramas usually have one thing going against them, history. How do you build a tension filled plot when everyone knows the outcome? That was Bryan Singer's biggest problem in the making of this brilliantly constructed thriller than focused on the unsuccessful attempt by a leading group of German officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler in the Summer of 1944. Bringing together an all star cast that would put most productions to shame, Singer made us invest our faith in these… more
Ellie ✨ (3★) · 311 likes
there's literally no point in letting tom cruise star in films that aren't homoerotic
2008 · Action, Drama, History · 2h 17m · R · Curator 3.7/10 (211.4K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
A survival-and-resistance story set in WWII that emphasizes leadership under impossible conditions.
1977 · Drama, History, War · 2h 55m · PG · Curator 3.8/10 (68K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
An ensemble military operation film that turns large-scale planning and failure into suspense, even when the outcome is known.
Topics
World War II, historical thriller, war drama, political conspiracy, ticking clock, ensemble cast, period piece, resistance, procedural suspense, studio craftsmanship