Faltering ride of the 'Valkyrie'

From this determination comes a plot to subvert Operation Valkyrie, Hitler's plan to use Germany's Reserve Army to protect the government in case of internal trouble. The conspirators' idea was to, in fact, employ the plan to topple the government the Reserve Army had sworn to defend. Von Stauffenberg, soon named head of the Reserve Army, becomes the person charged with attempting to kill the Fuhrer with a pair of well-placed bombs.

If you know anything about history, you know that this plot did not succeed. So although the run-up to the attempt, helped by John Ottman's editing and music, is quite involving, the second half of the film, with the conspirators in Berlin trying to put their plans into effect not knowing that Hitler's survival has doomed them, does not hold our interest as well because we are aware, even if the rebels are not, how futile their actions are.

Failed plots, even failed plots in Nazi Germany, can make excellent movies, with 2005's "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days" being a case in point. But with the lion's share of the attention here going to logistics, not emotions, "Valkyrie," though always respectable, never rises to that level. Hitler's staying alive was a terrible twist of history, and one that the world, as well as this film, just has to live with.

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kenneth.turan@latimes.com

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'Valkyrie'

MPAA rating: PG-13 rating for violence and brief strong language

Running time: 2 hours

Playing: In general release