True to form Mr D'Silva has revealed his sheer ignorance and indeed hatred for anything factual based. Brian Singer has gone to great lengths to recapture the mood of the time and accurately portray the physical props used by the Wiermacht during 1940's Germany. He has done a splendid job. Again in his review Mr D'Silva come across as someone who believes he is a connoisseur on the subject WW2 and particularly on Nazi Germany. I would hazard a guess and possibly a small wager that he had never even heard of Stauffenberg nor did he know that 15 if any plots to kill Hitler existed and that Hitler committed suicide, until he saw this movie. Please drop the pretence Mr D'Silva! For your information this film was first premiered in Berlin, a place central to the events of the movie and received a standing ovation from local people who are sensitive about their past history. Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp and Kenneth Brannagh and Tom Wilkinson were a masterful. These actors are at the peak of their powers and delivered with aplomb. Tom Cruise too did a creditable job. What a great opening to the movie with the Hitler oath that firmly sets the tone of what is to come. Had the movie been completely in German one can safely assume most people would not have watched it. This was without doubt a story that needed to be told. God only knows what ratings Mr D'Silva might give a film like Defiance as and when it opens in India. Kindly stick to reviewing Bollywood fairytales Mr D'Silva.
Re: Great film! Crap review, full of .... you can fill in the re
by Rajesh Ray on Feb 27, 2009 11:21 PM
Thanks for and whole-heartedly agree with your comments Anand. As I too have stated in my message, Elvis D'Silva is obviously a person with an extemely poor knowledge and understanding of history, otherwise he would not have written such a rubbish review. I am sure you and scores of other intelligent and knowledgeable (about both history and quality cinema) viewers will whole-heartedly agree that Valkyrie is a very-well produced, gripping film that deserves to be seen at least once on the big screen !
Re: Re: Great film! Crap review, full of .... you can fill in th
by Anand Vijayan on Mar 02, 2009 05:55 PM
Hi Rajesh, Glad to know you too found this to be a great film. I have no idea what else Brian Singer could have done that would have pleased our critic. I really enjoy films based on true stories. In case you already haven't might I recommend you see the following:
1. Changeling 2. The Bank Job 3. Amazing Grace 4. Zodiac 5. Flags of our Fathers 6. Letters from Iwo Jima
It is pretty evident that the Rediff reviewer Elvis D'Silva does not have any intellectual capacity to review a historical movie otheriwse he would not have written such rubbish ! First, and foremost, one should realize that 'Valkyrie' is a genre movie,viz., a historical thriller! It is a well-directed,and riveting war drama. In fact the fact that it uncovers the plot to assassinate Hitler in great detail and a high degree of accuracy is precisely the strong point of the film because through such detail we come to know that the plotters had not just planned to assassinate one individual.They had planned the coup in great detail by working out how exactly to take over their war-ravaged country within a day or two once Hitler had been removed from the scene. To achieve that,they realized that they had to put in place an entire military and civil administration, which would prevent a vaccum and consolidate the coup. In fact, they even held sway over the capital city, Berlin for a few hours and would almost surely have pulled it off if Hitler had indeed been killed in the explosion (he escaped with minor injuries to his hand !). The performances by all actors are perfect, and not over-the-top, including that of Tom Cruise, who comes across as a cool-headed, thinking plotter,one who does get carried away with excitement / blind passion. And thank God that the characters spoke in English that was understandable. A must watch for knowledgeable, discerning audiences
I think our mr critic is prejudiced against straight forward films which 'normal' people can appreciate.... If you were expecting bollywood style flick then u better not dare rate hollywood movies....Got it dude?
Re: Deserves Better
by Rahul Chopra on Feb 23, 2009 03:26 PM
look 'dude'... the review is spot-on! Valkyrie is an insipid film, with the acting not up to the mark, and no importance given to finer details. you guys only want to 'look' cool by liking it... haha! you're the dumba**es, trust me!
the movie is good and it deserves atleast 3- 3.5 stars.. the only drawback is that the end is a foregone conclusion and through out the movie you would be waiting to see where the plot goes wrong.. otherwise the story is gripping and all the actors have acted pretty decently..
Re: valkyrie review
by Rahul Chopra on Feb 23, 2009 03:29 PM
yogesh,
NO ONE said the movie has to be only 1 1/2 hours, thats the directors call. there have been many hollywood movies that are even 3 hours long, and are brilliant. this movie is useless, has no depth, has pathetic acting, and a really sorry script. if you liked it, its only because its a hollywood movie, and that you're scared to admit it was bad, lest you get judged as an i*iot!
