Cruise to attend 'Valkyrie' premiere
Tom Cruise will walk the red carpet tonight for the UK premiere of his new film about a failed plot to kill Hitler – hoping that the movie is better received elsewhere than it was in Germany.
'Valkyrie' tells the true story of Count Claus von Stauffenberg’s attempt to assassinate his leader with a briefcase bomb. Hitler escaped with only minor wounds and the Count and his fellow plotters were executed.
But relatives of the Prussian aristocrat have damned Cruise’s performance as “stiff” and lacking in charisma.
Franz von Stauffenberg told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag that Cruise seemed “terribly cautious, almost as if he were afraid of playing the role”.
He added: “He tries to seem elegant but comes across as extremely stiff. He seems not at all decisive in the role and, above all, not charismatic enough.”
German film critics have also criticised the film for playing fast and loose with historical accuracy.
Berlin’s Der Tagesspiegel said: “The uniform is correct, the truth is suffering.”
The Hollywood star is making the most of his trip to the UK. He is also set to appear on Jonathan Ross’s first Friday night BBC1 chat show since Ross’s three-month suspension for the prank calls that he and Russell Brand made to 'Fawlty Towers' actor Andrew Sachs.
The film premieres in London tonight at the Odeon in Leicester Square.
