Tom Cruise's Valkyrie looks to be a hit
From the day Tom Cruise put on his eye patch, squeezed into a pair of knee-high jackboots, and started working on his Nazi goosestep, pundits have been queuing to declare the Second World War thriller Valkyrie the most reckless gamble of his career. The film, a $90m (£60m) portrayal of the 20 July 1944 plot to kill Adolf Hitler, in which Cruise plays the failed assassin Claus von Stauffenberg, has been dogged by an almost comic array of problems since its inception two-and-half years ago.
Politicians tried to block filming in Germany. Relatives of Von Stauffenberg expressed disapproval at Cruise's links to Scientology. A team of extras was injured during production and launched a $11m lawsuit. Major scenes needed to be reshot, and the release date was changed more than three times.
This week, the film's trailer hit US cinemas. And as billboards began popping up around Los Angeles announcing its Boxing Day release, a new and even more shocking revelation began doing the rounds of Hollywood: against all the odds, Valkyrie may actually turn out to be rather good.
On Saturday and Sunday, in cheerful defiance of the wild-fires that gridlocked much of southern California, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer held its first press screenings of the film, which co-stars Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh and Eddie Izzard.
The result was a double triumph. Not only were a handful of industry reporters present able to scotch dark rumours about Cruise's German accent (in the event, he does not attempt one), they also gave the film almost shockingly positive reviews.
"All the buzz is that it's pretty good," said Variety's executive editor, Steven Gaydos. "Von Stauffenberg is not a typical role for Cruise, but in the event, he is a terrific actor who has surrounded himself with some of the most talented people around."
Read entire article at Independent (UK)
Politicians tried to block filming in Germany. Relatives of Von Stauffenberg expressed disapproval at Cruise's links to Scientology. A team of extras was injured during production and launched a $11m lawsuit. Major scenes needed to be reshot, and the release date was changed more than three times.
This week, the film's trailer hit US cinemas. And as billboards began popping up around Los Angeles announcing its Boxing Day release, a new and even more shocking revelation began doing the rounds of Hollywood: against all the odds, Valkyrie may actually turn out to be rather good.
On Saturday and Sunday, in cheerful defiance of the wild-fires that gridlocked much of southern California, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer held its first press screenings of the film, which co-stars Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh and Eddie Izzard.
The result was a double triumph. Not only were a handful of industry reporters present able to scotch dark rumours about Cruise's German accent (in the event, he does not attempt one), they also gave the film almost shockingly positive reviews.
"All the buzz is that it's pretty good," said Variety's executive editor, Steven Gaydos. "Von Stauffenberg is not a typical role for Cruise, but in the event, he is a terrific actor who has surrounded himself with some of the most talented people around."