With "Valkyrie", director Bryan Singer has produced the most expensive and well-made History Channel special ever.  Devoid of characters, thoughtful motives, or any introspection, "Valkyrie" is all about the plot to assassinate Hitler and retake Germany but totally indifferent towards the people who attempted to make that plot a reality.

Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) isn't really too keen on Der Fürher and when he gets blown up a little bit during a tour in North Africa, losing an eye, a hand, and a couple of fingers on his remaining hand, that sentiment doesn't really change.  Inducted into a secret organization planning to overthrow Hitler, Stauffenberg devises to use "Operation Valkyrie" where the resistance will make it seem like the S.S. are staging a coup and therefore activate the reserve army.  The resistance will then use the reserve army to defeat the S.S., retake Germany, and save Europe from Hitler's mad quest for world domination.  There's only one, teeny-tiny, itsy-bitsy issue that has to be overcome before that can happen—you have to kill Hitler. 

To Singer's credit, he has crafted a taut thriller by keeping the plot to assassinate Hitler thoughtful yet not so complex that the audience can't follow.  The production design is gloriously detailed and it's clear that no expense has been spared in trying to recreate 1940s Berlin.  But there are no characters to care about.  "Valkyrie" is almost two hours long and I can't tell you the motives of a single character beyond "I love Germany but hate Hitler".  To have it simply be, "Hitler's Bad, I'm Against Hitler, I'm Therefore Good" is boring and cheapens every character involved.  There are no good or bad performances because there's nothing to do with these characters.  They're simply chess pieces moved around a board and while it may seem odd to question anyone who would want to kill Hitler, I have to know why these men want to do it.  What's the difference between someone who acknowledges evil and begrudgingly accepts it and someone who decides to risk their life in order to fight it?

No one in this film has a moment to humanize.  There's not an anecdote, a kind word, or even a general sense of camaraderie among a group of men who will surely be put to death if their grand scheme is uncovered or fails.  It's a kind of fast-forward storytelling that leads to scenes where Stauffenberg interviews an aide by telling him his intent to kill Hitler and overthrow the government.  The aide is in because he's in.  Why is it so easy for this young soldier to break with the oath to Hitler but not for others?  It doesn't matter.  There are ideas "Valkyrie" could pursue, namely, "What will you fight for—a country, its leader, or your own self-interest?" but the film can't slow down for two seconds to explore the question. 

The 20 July plot of "Valkyrie" is a fascinating tale and one that's worth telling and as far as the actual step-by-step events, Singer does a great job in his re-enactment.  But without characters or themes, it's just a soulless History Channel documentary with killer production values.