Holiday Movie Guide 2008

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_ on Aug 18, 2009 at 8:13PM

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25 of 29

Valkyrie

Cast: Tom Cruise, Tom Wilkinson, Kenneth Branagh and Bill Nighy
Release date: December 26
Why you should see it: The movie traces a tricky, and obviously unsuccessful, plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler near the end of World War II by German military officer Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise).
Box office bottom line: Cruise, hoping for a major box-office comeback with this intriguing subject matter, has been slagged for his German accent (or lack thereof), while the movie—directed by The Usual Suspect's Bryan Singer— has had more release dates than we can count. Still, Stauffenberg's plot makes for a great thriller, and Cruise has certainly proved he's capable of great performances, so here's hoping the flick will be judged on its own merits and not the memory of T.C.'s couch-jumping, fighting-with-Matt-Lauer-and-Brooke-Shields antics.