"Reel Pieces" (SD, 38:56) is a live interview session with director Bryan Singer and Tom Cruise. The duo answers moderated questions regarding both Valkyrie and their careers in general. This segment contains many bits of information on the film not highlighted elsewhere, and is an interesting segment on its own. Also included are two commentary tracks for the film. The first includes Bryan Singer, actor Tom Cruise, and co-writer Christopher McQuarrie. The trio gives a non-stop look back - as the participants try desperately not to talk over each other - on the process of filming the movie, echoing information that is largely covered in the other bonus material. The second track involves just the two co-writers for the film, Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander. This discussion feels like the more focused of the two, as the writers detail specific elements of the film, their relation to real-life events, and the historical research for the script.
Conclusion
Valkyrie ends up being both a wasted opportunity and a competent historical thriller. It's a very compelling story from history, the acting is top-notch, and the obsessive attention to detail brought to the film should have sailed it through. But the rushed set-up of the story and characters makes the pacing feel haphazard. It's still quite enjoyable after some historical research - especially after viewing the included and very impressive documentary - but it's an oversight of the film to lean on the viewer's external knowledge of events. Still, this is an intriguing story, and the total Blu-ray package for Valkyrie hits more than it misses.
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