This letter is associated with the following article:
Letters
Thursday, December 25, 2008 12:00 AM

"Valkyrie"

Tom Cruise leads a cast of actors giving terrible performances in a big-budget Nazi thriller that's just following orders.

Read other letters about this article

  • Thursday, December 25, 2008 07:48 AM

    Abberant History, Lousy Movie, and Tom Cruise Is A Douche Bag

    First off, there are no "Good Guys" in this story. They're all Nazis, and the reasons they wanted to snuff Hitler weren't altruistic at all. Those of you who know something of the War in Europe will recall that after the British kicked the Luftwaffes' ass in the Battle of Britain, Hitler went berserk, and decreed that it would be He and He alone that ran the day-to-day operations of the war, to the chagrin of the Generals, which not only frustrated their planning, but pissed them off royally. (It's ironic to note that if Hitler had authorized the release of his Reserve Panzer Tank Divisions immediately after the invasion had started, most notably the 2nd & 116th, the invasion would probably have been repelled. But Hitler refused to allow them to be implemented, resulting in the Allied victory. In effect, he ruined any hope that the German Army could resist the invasion, by way of his strategic ineptitude)

    The German General Staff realized that with Hitler calling the shots, defeat at the hands of the Allies was inevitable, and the only way they could even hope for a reversal of any kind, was to eliminate Hitler. Therefore, this plan was implemented. They were not looking to sue for peace, to the contrary, they sought victory over the Allies, and might have achieved it if they had killed Hitler. At the very least, if they had succeeded, it would have prolonged the war.

    It is also a historical fact the the Allies discontinued all attempts to kill Hitler after the Battle of Britain, because they knew with Hitler in direct command of his forces, the war would be over sooner.

    Despite the fact that Cruises' career has "Jumped the Shark", this movie is way off the mark, not only historically, but also with respect to quality. It's basically a fat paycheck for the actors involved. It isn't inspiring, it's rubbish. Hopefully, this will be the last of the Tom Cruise vehicles we'll have to endure.

Most Active Letters Threads

405

I'm thankful I'm not President Obama

Backers deride Katrina-style negligence, haters hate him more each day. Can this presidency be saved? Of course
321

Tough-guy John Bolton, hiding under his bed

As usual, right-wing pseudo-warriors are drowning in extreme cowardice.
320

Greg Craig and Obama's worsening civil liberties record

A new Time account of the fall of Obama's White House counsel sheds much light on rule of law issues.
201

A key British official reminds us of the forgotten anthrax attack

A vast array of establishment and expert sources do not believe this episode was really resolved.
154

Phil Carter's resignation from key detainee policy post

Many of the "War on Terror" policies he spent years condemning were ones expressly embraced by Obama.

View all »

Letters Help

Currently in Salon