Valkyrie

Tom Cruise has a new movie out. It's called Valkyrie, and it's based on a true story - about an attempted assassination of Hitler during World War II.

I'm kind of a WWII buff, so I know the story, and it's a good one. So, I'd like to see a movie about it. The only problem is that I don't really like Tom Cruise, and the trailer I saw the other day made me purse my lips. It showed Tom and some compatriots discussing the plan for the assassination attempt, and someone says they need someone to carry it out, and Tom's character says, "I'll do it" in a very resolute tone.

I told J that the thing that bugs me is that I think Tom actually sees himself as that guy. I think he actually believes that he could single-handedly save the world, if necessary, and that he would, in fact, step up resolutely to plant the bomb to take out the tyrant. I think he thinks of himself as a bit of a superhero. And that makes it hard for me to watch him. He's a great actor, but when I think he's kind of just playing himself, or rather how he sees himself, well...it makes my lips purse.

Brad Pitt doesn't really do anything for me, and I tend to think he takes himself a little too seriously, but then he shows a sense of humor about his roles, like in "Burn After Reading" or even with "Ocean's Eleven" and I like him better. And I can't stand Sean Penn on a personal level, but he's an amazing actor who takes on a wide variety of roles that aren't just a reflection of who he thinks he is, so I can lose myself in his performance. I can forget that I loathe him in real life and just go for the ride because his characters are diverse and interesting and he's so great.

But lately Tom just kind of plays the same guy all the time - the hero. Or maybe it just feels that way. And since I kinda think that's who he thinks he is, and I don't, well...I just can't enjoy it as much. And that sucks since I'd really like to see a well-done adaptation of the Valkyrie story.