The first reviews are in for Valkyrie, Tom Cruise’s holiday release Nazi thriller, and they’re mixed. Cruise’s performance is not as laughable as some advance reports may have you believe, according to the critics, but it’s not that amazing either. It’s a passable film that people are likely to pass up at the box office in favor of lighter fare, according to Variety:
After a long takeoff, “Valkyrie” finally takes flight as a thriller in its second half but never soars very high. Bryan Singer’s long-awaited account of the near-miss assassination of Adolf Hitler by a ring of rebel German army officers on July 20, 1944, has visual splendor galore, but is a cold work lacking in the requisite tension and suspense. This second production from Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner at United Artists will do better than the first, “Lions for Lambs,” but is a decidedly odd choice for Christmas Day release, and looks destined for just so-so commercial returns.
Cruise himself is a bit stiff but still adequate as Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, the handsome, aristocratic officer whose disenchantment with Nazism, the Fuehrer and the war finds sympathetic ears among a sizable number of military bigwigs at a time when the tide has turned against Germany in the East and an Allied invasion is expected imminently in the West.
[From Variety via Huffington Post]
The Hollywood Reporter is a little more enthusiastic about the film, but says that it’s lacking in some key respects. There is a mild spoiler alert for the quoted text below. Everyone knows how this story turns out, but this may reveal a little too much about the plot:
Bottom Line: Well-crafted historical thriller boasts fine performances but fails to probe the motives behind the plot to kill Hitler.
After keeping “Valkyrie” under wraps for months and moving its release date four times, MGM has finally pulled back the curtains on its Tom Cruise historical thriller to reveal a coolly efficient, entertaining and straightforward tale about the last of 15 known assassination attempts against Adolf Hitler…The coup itself, following the assassination attempt that many believe has succeeded, makes for fascinating viewing and much what-if speculation that should continue long after the credits roll. All details are convincing and presumably well researched. The film has a documentary-like authenticity yet remains a sleek thriller filled with flawed heroes and catastrophic missteps.
Singer has crafted a fine film. One just wishes for greater details — and a different ending.
[From The Hollywood Reporter via Huffington Post]
Cruise and Lauer in 2005
Cruise is playing the hero and he’s going to promote the hell out of that film. He’s even going to go back on The Today Show. Matt Lauer and Tom Cruise have patched things up after their much talked about on-air confrontation over psychiatric drugs in 2005. Tom Cruise made some jokes at Matt Lauer’s roast in October and they seem to have reached a tentative truce. Cruise will appear on The Today Show on December 15, and they’ll probably joke about their heated exchange three years ago and then move on.
In the new issue of People, Cruise says he “could have handled things better” in that infamous interview, and calls 2005 “My year of jumping dangerously.” Cruise’s interview with Lauer was at the end of June, 2005, just six weeks after he jumped on Oprah’s couch when trying to express the magnitude of his feelings for Katie Holmes. He seems to have partially recovered since, with a two part love fest on Oprah and a comedic role in Tropic Thunder as a parody of the guy who fired him from Paramount. He may not ever be the same to the public, but he’s working on it.
Douche-rocket. 🙄
Loved the character in Tropic Thunder. It was hilarious. The dancing was truly the best.
Although I do regard him to be a “douche-rocket” otherwise.
For everything Tom Cruise is, he’s a hell of a lot better when he’s poking fun at himself and acknowledging the error of his ways. That will go a long way toward people “forgiving” him.
It’s a shame. He’s so good looking, but so nuts. Once upon a time he really was a great actor and had such mass appeal. He just threw it all away for that crackpot cult he’s tangled up with.
Can’t someone hire a deprogrammer to rescue him from those bloodsuckers? A few years away from Scientology and in therapy, and he might still have a chance. But until then, he’ll be nothign but a joke to the public. And those poor kids of his…well, I think we’ll be reading their “Daddy Dearest” tell-all books in a few years.
@Lauri – I don’t think the decision is Tom’s. I don’t think Tom can cut the ties with scientology if scientology doesn’t want to cut the ties with him. I think they know too much and scientologists, as we know, are not exactly what you’d call forgiving people and are inclined to get murderously nasty when people don’t play nice with them. Tom wanting to leave would be in the category of not playing nice…if you follow my meaning. 😯
I also heard the mix reviews for Valkyrie when I was 100% certain that they would all be negative. I ALWAYS laugh @ the previews for this movie. I dont know if its because I am no longer able to distinguish Tom as the actor & not the looney.
“operation Valkyrie is in affect” 😆
He looks absolutely ridiculous with that eyepatch.
Lauri, geroninmo, That about sizes things up for me. He is ensnared about as much as one person can be at this point, the point of no return. So it’s either all or nothing for Tom and I suspect that it may turn out to be nothing.
Scary, icky, creepy, slimy douchebag. Hate him SO much.
I don’t really care about Tom Cruise the Scientologist.
I still like him because I like the movies he’s done. Jerry McGuire, Top Gun, Risky Business, Rain Man, Magnolia, A Few Good Men, the list goes on.
I can overlook all the tabloid crap because he’s entertained me for so long with his films, even if he isn’t the best actor technically, he’s made good decisions and been entertaining.
Personally I think most people don’t like hi just because it’s a popular to hate on Tom Cruise.