The Plot to Kill Hitler (1990)

Thanks for the memories!

Simply A Masterpiece

Good movie but grossly overrated

Fresh and Exciting

The plot to kill Hitler was a failure. And the film? Hmm. A partial success!The lead cast all give competent performances and deliver the dialogue in unconvincing German-American accents. Except for Mike Gwilym (Hitler), who delivered his lines in a bizarre Welsh-German accent (which does actually work better) for this film before apparently going into retirement aged 40. If only Hitler had done the same! Some of the supporting actors, for example Ian Richardson as General Beck and Helmut Griem (who may have had an advantage with the accent), as Rommel, make more impression.I understand the film is historically accurate, but the pace is all a bit flat. OK, it's aimed at a 'family' audience. But really, a little less conversation, a little more action would have been welcome. This is not a film I'd want to watch again.

I have come across the 3 movies relating to Operation Valkyrie with Col. Stauffenberg as the main focus. This is the one that i watched most recently but it was the first one made being (1990). Followed by that is Stauffenberg of (2004) and Valkyrie starring Tom Cruise (2009). Now after watching all 3, they are all good watches. I probably enjoyed the (2004) one the most as it had more feeling but 2009 because of the budget and modern look was visually better. After the (1990) and (2004) movies being made am surprised Tom Cruise opted to make another one as the the first 2 fulfill the explanation & feeling. They are all pretty much the same storyline as it is based on a true story with little movie differences here and there. Overall a good watch and doesn't wander off the truths of the incident that we know to be historically true or what we feel is the correct presentation. In many movies actors have tried to play Hitler, so just a little comment on the Hitler in this movie, decent performance. But for me the most defining Hitler i have come across in cinema has to be in ' Downfall' 'Der Untergang' : Bruno Ganz. Also the Himmler in Downfall is the best representation in terms of look i have ever seen. And as we are talking about Nazi representation in movies, the best Heydrich i have seen is in ' Aushwitz the Nazis and the Final Solution'. Although the Himmler in that documentary narrated by Samuel West is terrible. Imagine if all the actors who have represented Nazi personalities so well came together for one movie, now that would be epic for people who show a strong interested in ww2 movies. However in relation to this topic: for me someone should of just blown a bullet into his head rather than beating round the bush coming up with so many complicated ways to kill him yet failing on all accounts.

The July 20, 1944 a plot to kill German dictator Adolf Hitler by a group of Germans opposed to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and led by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg has caught the attention of filmmakers over the years, the most recent being 2008's Valkyrie. The Plot To Kill Hitler is a 1990 TV movie that details that plot. So what does this dramatization of the plot have to offer? The cast is somewhat mixed. Brad Davis a good choice for the role of Colonel von Stauffenberg thanks to his bearing a good resemblance to the real life figure. Yet Davis comes across as rather flat in his performance for the most part though he has some nice moments such as early in the film when he's coming to terms with the loss of his left hand. Faring somewhat better is Madolyn Smith Osborne as his wife Nina as the movie focuses quite a bit on the relationship between the two of them. The supporting cast fairs somewhat better with Ian Richardson's spot on performance as General Beck, Helmut Griem as Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and Jonathan Hyde as Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels. That said some of the supporting performances don't work at all such as Rupert Graves as a would be assassin and Mike Gwilym as an over the top Hitler. The result overall is a mixed bag acting wise despite some good performances but that isn't completely the fault of the cast.The production values for The Plot To Kill Hitler are about average for a TV movie. The movie was shot in Eastern Europe and it looks like it. That isn't really a bad thing since it does bare a very good resemblance to Second World War Germany. But it becomes exceedingly obvious in places like the early scene set in Tunisia for instance. Also certain places like Hitler's eastern front headquarters the Wolf's Lair come across as less then convincing for the most part. The costumes and props come across much better in recreating the era then the sets do. Perhaps the best aspects of the production values are the cinematography of Freddie Francis and the fine score done for the film by composer Laurence Rosenthal both of which elevate the movie a bit. The overall result though is less then impressive though.That could really be said about the script by Steven Elkins. Elkins script gets across the basic facts of the July 20 plot but to be honest it really does little else. The dialogue and characterizations are one dimensional to say the least with the only purpose of getting the basic points across. The movie does takes some big liberties with events such as suggesting that the July 20th bomb plot was more or less a spur of the moment event while ignoring the aborted attempt made a few days prior, all done presumably for the sake of getting the basic points across. There's an especially glaring historical error involving Hitler consulting an astrologer about the course of the war, something that was widely rumored but later found to be untrue. The result then is that the movie becomes rather uninteresting for the most part, even for someone interested in the history more then the drama.As a movie, The Plot To Kill Hitler comes across as little more then average between its mixed cast, average production values and less then impressive scripting. As a history lesson, it gets across the basic facts of the July 20th plot even though it takes so considerable dramatic liberties with the events. In short then, it does the job it sets out to do but surprisingly does little else.

Great acting and drama that is better than Valkyrie which was released in 2009. It shows more of the family side side of the man. Hitler's doubts are also exposed. It's sad that the mass murders that were done. It's hard to believe that such an environment of hatred against another race of people (especially innocent ones) can be created. It's hard to believe all the attempts to assassinate Hitler failed. The whole history of World War 1 and 2 should be taught in detail in all schools, to educate everyone on the evils that are possible. And also to identify the build up of similar leaders that look to destroy others for no reason. Looks like Iran and Russia may be possible future countries in which leaders similar to Hitler may rise to power. The goal should be to educate and arm people to avoid such powers.