VALKYRIE

During WWII, German Colonel Claus Philipp Maria Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg is severely wounded in Africa, and returns home to Nazi Germany. In Germany, Major General Tresckow attempts to assassinate Hitler by delivering a bomb in a wine case to kill Hitler on his plane in mid-air, but the bomb fails to detonate. Tresckow safely retrieves it to conceal his intent and considers his next course of action. He has General Olbricht bring Stauffenberg to the secret committee, including members General Beck, Dr.Goedeler, and Witzleben, that plots to assassinate Hitler. The colonel suggests using the plan Operation Valkyrie, which involves the deployment of the Reserve Army to maintain order, to take control of the government after successfully assassinating Hitler. The plotters agree to rewrite the plan to exclude the Schutzsstaffle, whom they do not trust, and they attempt to bring General Fromm, the head of the Reserve Army, into the fold. With the rewritten plan needing to be signed off by Hitler , Stauffenberg visits the Führer at his Berghof residence in Bavaria. Hitler, with his inner circle before him, praises Stauffenberg's sacrifices and signs off on the plan without fully examining the modifications, trusting that the changes are adequate.The plotters plan to assassinate Hitler as well as the SS head Himmler at the bunker Wolf's Lair, and Colonel Mertz instructs the committee members in how to use pencil dentinators. Stauffenberg reaches out to General Fellgiebel, in charge of communications at Wolf's Lair, to cut off communications at the right time. The colonel attends a strategy meeting at Wolf's Lair with the bomb in his briefcase, but with Himmler not present at the meeting, Stauffenberg does not get the go-ahead from the committee leaders to detonate the bomb. In the meantime, the Reserve Army is mobilized by Olbricht, unbeknownst to Fromm, to stand by. With no action taken, Stauffenberg safely extracts himself and the bomb from the bunker, and the Reserve Army is ordered to stand down, believing that the mobilization was training. The colonel goes to the committee to protest the indecisiveness and blames the political intent of Goerdeler, who is intended to be chancellor after the coup. Stauffenberg demands the presence of another military opinion in the committee, nominating Mertz. Beck informs Goerdeler that the SS have a warrant for the politician's arrest and implores him to leave the country, bringing Mertz into the fold.A second plan is formulated with two pencil detonators prepared. Stauffenberg and his lieutenant Haeften return to Wolf's Lair. To Stauffenberg's dismay, the colonel discovers that the strategy meeting is being held in an open-window summer hut, where the plotters had intended to detonate the bomb within the walls of the bunker for maximum damage. Stauffenberg has Haeften wait with a getaway car, and the colonel leaves the briefcase at the meeting. He calls for the go-ahead from the committee, but without Himmler at the meeting, no order is given by Beck or Olbricht. Stauffenberg talks to Mertz and agrees to go ahead with the assassination. With the bomb armed, Stauffenberg leaves the hut for the getaway car. In the meantime, Stauffenberg's briefcase is knocked over and replaced against the leg of the table opposite Hitler. When the bomb explodes, Stauffenberg believes that the assassination was a success and flees the bunker. Fellgiebel calls Mertz about the explosion but does not clearly convey whether the Führer is dead or not. The general then cuts off communications between Wolf's Lair and the outside.While Stauffenberg returns to Berlin, Olbricht refuses to mobilize the Reserve Army until he knows without a doubt that Hitler is dead. Behind Olbricht's back, Mertz issues the order for mobilization before Stauffenberg's return. With Operation Valkyrie underway, Stauffenberg and the other plotters make orders to arrest SS officers and to take control of Berlin's government quarter, which would allow them to command the rest of Nazi Germany's territories. Rumors spread that Hitler survived the assassination attempt, but Stauffenberg dismisses them as SS propaganda. Fromm finds out that communications lines to Wolf's Lair are working and from Field Marshal Keitel at the bunker that Hitler is still alive. The general resists the plotters, resulting in his arrest. Orders come out of Wolf's Lair that contradict Stauffenberg's orders, and both are sent through out of the communication director's fears of wrongful interpretation. Despite the plotters' partial control of Berlin, their ruse is discovered by the Reserve Army, who releases the SS officers and pursues the plotters while the communications director cuts off their lines. They are detained and eventually executed; at Stauffenberg's exuction firing squad, he yells out, "Long live sacred Germany!" before being killed.

This movie was awesome. Tom Cruise did wonderful. I never knew this much about the July 20th plot. But don't think this is you date movie!
Comments:
Intriguing
Great Movie
Tom Cruise has finally eared his Oscar
Parents: Violent and complex content

Koolkidz Rating*****

Rated PG-13

Cast
Tom Cruise... Colonel Claus Philipp Maria Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
Bill Nighy... General Friedrich Olbricht
Kenneth Brangah...Major-General Henning von Tresckow
Terence Stamp...General Erich Fellgiebel
Eddie Izzard...General Generaloberst Ludwig Beck