Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Terence Stamp, and Tom Cruise. Spot the odd one out!

The first four are classically trained British thespians and the last is one of Hollywood's most successful stars. In Valkyrie, however, they all play Nazis. With Cruise involved though it's practically a given that these men aren't your run-of-the-mill evil Nazis but rather repentant Nazis disillusioned by their Fuhrer's maniacal pursuits.

The film is based on the true story of the half-blind, one-armed Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise, naturally) who led the conspiracy that plotted to assassinate Hitler at the height of WWII. And while it's no secret that Stauffenberg and company failed...

What's that? Oh please, it's hardly a spoiler. We all know Hitler took his own life when it became clear that Nazi Germany would lose the war. And if you didn't know, well, consider this a little history lesson.

Regardless, director Bryan Singer and writer Christopher McQuarrie (reteaming for the first time since The Usual Suspects) still manage to keep you riveted - a true testament to their ability as master storytellers. Cleverly eschewing the phony German accents, the fantastic ensemble cast make quite the team as well. Even odd-one-out Cruise does an admirable job, and remains one of the most consistently entertaining actors around.

Either way, love him or hate him, Valkyrie is a film worth seeing. After all, for those of the latter orientation, Cruise's character gets executed in the end, and how long have you waited to see that happen?

In 1971, Private Roland Bozz (Farrell) joins an infantry company in Louisiana for eight weeks of final training before being shipped to Vietnam. The final week of training is to be held at Tigerland, a U.S. training ground that is as close as you can come to Vietnam in the States.

Farrell gives a brilliant performance as Bozz, a young man rebelling against army training. Bozz is determined not to become desensitised like the rest of the platoon and the story is more a tale of bravery, of individuality, kindness and human spirit than a "war" movie. He is repeatedly made an example of by the harsh and brutal camp leaders but he fights on to motivate and inspire his fellow squad members. Eventually he earns the respect of his fellow soldiers and some of his superiors, who recognise that he is a born leader.

The other characters are fairly stereotypical: brutish sergeants, the platoon psycho, the sensitive guy who can't handle the pressure... nothing that we haven't seen before as far as the background characters go. It is Bozz who holds our interest.

This is an all round film that appeals to both sexes. It is enough of a war / buddy movie to keep the guys interested but without the never-ending shootouts and mud scenes that make so many war films a snore fest for the girls. It also helps that the main actors are smokin' hot. ?