Valkyrie, the movie, is an intense drama originally based on Norse mythology. “Valkyrie” refers to Odin’s handmaidens who transported the souls of the slain in battle to Valhalla, the great hall in which Odin received the souls of slain heroes. This is a story about a handful of incredibly courageous German soldiers who realized what a demented maniac Hitler had become and tried to stop him by plotting an assignation. Confronting the full power of Hitler, the SS, and the all-powerful Third Reich, these brave men risked their lives and the lives of their families to “do the right thing”. From the get-go these brave soldiers knew their chances of success were slim, but felt compelled to undertake this valiant mission anyway because the reputation and honor of Germany were at stake. “We must make sure that the world knows that not all Germans were like this heinous madman,” — they said!

Major kudos to Tom Cruise, whose production company financed the risky production of this riveting drama in order to tell an important story that hasn’t been told. The movie is historically accurate which adds to its pleasure and significance. People may not like the idea of “heroic Germans” or even “good Germans”, but the fact is there were some. Valkyrie, and the mythology in which it is ensconced, reminds us all of this larger life-truth which provides the contextual backdrop for this terrific film: Every person is capable of abominable crimes or heroic deeds and we are almost always free to make a choice. “Destiny [fate] calls but does not dictate”! In the midst of total war and destructive chaos, surrounded by unthinkable evil with bombs falling everywhere, it’s still possible to do the right, ethical thing,–even if it costs you and your family’s life. Valkyrie, particularly Cruise’s character, redeems the noble innate potential of all human beings!

Significantly, Valkyrie is grounded in Norse mythology and is a great story about heroism in the face of terror. According to this ancient Norse myth, it was one’s willingness to undertake a life-threatening endeavor of significant virtue and spiritual value. This courageous action alone made one a hero and qualified you for Valhalla,– Odin’s great warrior hall of venerated souls,– whether you were successful or not. To fully understand and appreciate this intense, fast-moving, action-packed conundrum,– the incredibly arcane, difficult, and crunching circumstances of life in general and particularly during war under Hitler’s tyranny, Google in Norse mythology and check it out. It’s a very exciting read!

If you like well-acted, serious, intense drama based on real-life history,–Valkyrie is as good as it gets!

Douglas E. Wight

International Activist and Screenplay Writer