Tom Cruise Takes on Touchy Role with Valkyrie

Known for a vast array of roles that have ranged from portraying a card-counting younger brother to an autistic man (Rain Man) to a young student who rocks out in his underwear (Risky Business), Tom Cruise is embarking on what is likely the most controversial film of his career. In Cruise’s new film, "Valkyrie," he will play a Nazi solider plotting the assassination of Adolph Hitler. In true Tom Cruise blockbuster style, the movie opens on Christmas Day.

Apparently, Cruise has been searching for a script that focuses on World War II, a subject about which he apparently has a great deal of interest. Since "Saving Private Ryan" in 1998, however, WWII flicks have been hard to come by. Said Cruise of his new role, "You have to take chances, challenge yourself. You can’t take movies because you think they’re going to be huge hits." Actually, one can do just that, but it seems evident that Cruise is at the point of his career where he has a bit of latitude as to which films he chooses, and he can certainly afford a flop. Despite the fact that critics have been deriding him for years now, ever since his infamous romp on Oprah Winfrey’s couch, Cruise still gets offers for an array of films.

Even so, the box office success of his films has been a bit underwhelming of late, with Lions for Lambs flopping with a mere $15 million take. With Valkyrie, however, Cruise risks more than a flop. Instead, the actor finds himself in a difficult-to-play role of an eye-patch-wearing Nazi. Cruise will also have to practice his "Heil Hitler" salute, which even taken in the context of the movies could be uncomfortable for some viewers. Only time will tell if the movie is to be a commercial and artistic success, but what remains certain is that all eyes will be on Cruise as he dons his Nazi duds.