All good things come to those who wait, and boy have we been waiting a long time for the Cruiser's latest movie, \"Valkyrie\". But was it worth it?Set during the Second World War, the sofa-jumping superstar plays a German war hero who, but for a block of wood, could - indeed would - have become one of the greatest heroes of the twentieth century. By killing Hitler, blaming the SS and then initiating Operation Valkyrie (which was the emergency plan the Nazi elite were to execute should their beloved Fuhrer snuff it), disaffected Wehrmacht hero Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Schaufenberg would effectively remove the entire Nazi government and restore, at least in part, the good name of Germany. Brilliant - a plan so mind-blowing that the Fuhrer could have used it to assist his suicide 12 months later. But did Schaufenberg succeed? Well I hate to spoil the story, but in short no. And herein lies the tricky part for director Bryan Singer, the man behind \"The Usual Suspects\" and \"Superman Returns\". For Hitler managed to hobble on for another year or so, thanks to an immense piece of good fortune - or should that be oak - before topping himself in his bunker in Berlin in April 1945. So the question is: how to build a tense thriller for a plot that you know is doomed to failure?Singer walks the line between suspenseful thriller and history lesson like a nimble Johnny Cash, but he is also aided by some truly scintillating performances. The Brit mob is there in abundance with fine thesps Terence Stamp, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson and Kenneth Branagh all producing performances as sparkling as their Nazi jackboots, while there is a nice cameo from comedian Eddie Izzard - minus the leather and lippy.And then there is Mr Cruise himself. After a fabulous and almost unrecognisable role in comedy \"Tropic Thunder\", Cruise returns somewhat to type as the all-American (or should that be German?) hero. There will no doubt be many who slate his wholesome American twang, but the bottom line is the little guy has a massive presence. Dominating the film with floppy hair and an eye-patch, Cruise - like an experienced midwife - has delivered once again. Who said history was bunk?<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>","fnc":"googleTrackerHelper.doTrackPage( '\/'Valkyrie-film_options~20973'\/Reviews\/ViewAll\/1' );"}