| Overall Grade: |
B+ |
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| Story: |
B+ |
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| Acting: |
B+ |
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| Direction: |
B+ |
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| Visuals: |
B+ |
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More History Channel Doc than Blockbuster Movie
by Jarod (movies profile)
Dec 27, 2008
15
of
17 people found this review helpful
Oh so close and I'm a WWII nerd. The story has all the makings of a great drama - the courage, the suspense, the base of reality are all there. Knowing the story, including the outcome, left me open to not spend time "figuring it out" but just enjoying the show. The suspense will grip you and I found my hands getting sweaty as the plot progressed. After watching I don't think it was quite enough to make a major motion picture out of.
The performances are powerful and believable - even with all the American and British accents. I'm not a big Tom Cruise fan but he delivers a strong performance and is very good as Claus von Stauffenberg. The visuals and direction are great. Although expected for this scale of film, I don't recall a single scene that didn't make me feel like it was taking place in the early to mid 1940's.
Overall the film is entertaining, suspenseful and exciting but it left me feeling like it just wasn't quite strong enough to be made into a major movie. I think it's because the main character fails so miserably and is executed so quickly after risking so much. There's no "triumphant hero" and after Stauffenberg's failure, millions still perished at the hands of the maniacs he so courageously tried to destroy. |
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