Based on a stunning true story, Tom Cruise stars as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg in the suspense film Valkyrie, a chronicle of the daring and ingenious plot to eliminate one of the most evil tyrants the world has ever known.

A proud military man, Colonel Stauffenberg is a loyal German officer who loves his country but has been forced to watch with horror as the rise of Hitler has led to the events of the Second World War.

He has continued his military service, all the while hoping someone will find a way to stop Hitler before Europe and Germany are destroyed.

Realising time is running out, Stauffenberg decides he must take action himself, and in 1942, on his own initiative, attempts to persuade senior commanders in the East to confront and overthrow Hitler.

Then in 1943, while recovering from injuries suffered in combat, Stauffenberg joins forces with the long-existing civilian anti-Hitler conspiracy, a group of men hidden inside the highest reaches of power.

Armed with a cunning strategy to use Hitler’s own emergency plan to stabilise the government in the event of his demise – Operation Valkyrie – and turn that plan on its head to remove those in power and cripple Hitler’s regime, these men plot to assassinate the dictator and overthrow his Nazi government.

With everything in place, and with the future of the world, the fate of millions, and the lives of his wife and children hanging in the balance, Stauffenberg is thrust from being one of many who oppose Hitler to being the one who must kill Hitler himself.

In addition to Cruise, the film’s cast includes Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Carice van Houten, Thomas Kretschmann, Eddie Izzard, Christian Berkel and Terence Stamp.

Before taking on the part Cruise had not known that much about Stauffenberg, but to prepare he learned as much about Stauffenberg as he could, and his research and attention to detail quickly showed him what an impressive man he was.

“When I first read the script, it was incredibly compelling on many different levels, from a historical perspective but also as a great thriller,” says Cruise. “I was fascinated by the conspiracy. It was dynamic and suspenseful from the opening to the end. Then finding out it was based on a true story – it’s even more mind-blowing. That combination made it very interesting for me.”

Cruise was incredibly moved by what took place inside the German Resistance. “To experience it from Stauffenberg’s perspective and see what these men risked – not just their own lives but their families’ lives – it’s tremendous,” he says.

“It’s amazing to see someone under such tremendous pressure stand up for what he felt was right, to have that kind of integrity in those circumstances.”

The actor also found that Stauffenberg’s heroism also hit home in a personal way. “You think, ‘How would I handle that?’, and that’s what makes it very powerful. It’s a timeless movie because it deals with things that are timeless: integrity, heroism, cowardice, compromise. What are you willing to stand up for or not do anything about? These are questions that we as human beings evaluate in our own lives.”

“Ultimately, I don’t think Stauffenberg saw himself as a hero,” he continues. “He saw it as the correct thing to do, to try to end the war and spare human lives. Stauffenberg is someone who really always drove himself towards a higher moral ground and searched for moral correctness and rightness for himself, and he wanted that for his country. He was one of the few that had the courage to stand up to Hitler and even be willing to sacrifice his own life to try and get that done.”