Valkyrie

The Pitch: German resistance member Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) leads a plot to assassinate Hitler. You can guess how it ended.

The High Points: Based on interviews with the writers, director, and stars (including a descendent of von Stauffenberg himself), Valkyrie was obviously a project that they all took very seriously. It's hard not to respect that. Plus, who doesn't want to knock off Hitler?

The Low Points: Valkyrie is marketed as a combination of a popcorn-munching actioner, but that's somewhat misleading -- it's also a well-researched historical thriller. Unfortunately, it ends up not succeeding as either. Sure, it's complicated to set up the assassination of a lunatic dictator, but does it have to be so boring? The second half, where all the action takes place is more exciting, but by then we had checked out. History, especially WWII buffs, might enjoy it – or they might enjoy picking apart the Hollywood-isms.

What Makes it All Worth it: Tom Cruise in an eye patch giving the fascist salute with an wrist stump. A wrist stump!