There are no surprise twists in Valkyrie, the story of Stauffenberg's assassination attempt of Hitler. There are no happy endings. The German dictator survives. Stauffenberg and his fellow conspirators do not. Their failed July 20, 1944, coup is both tragedy and farce—a chronicle of missteps and poor luck.

When the film opens in 1943, Stauffenberg—a lieutenant colonel stationed in Tunisia—is already disillusioned by Hitler's government. We're made to understand that he was banished to Africa for speaking against the Reich, and he chronicles some Nazi atrocities in a letter home: "My duty is no longer to save my country, but to save human lives," he writes. Minutes later, allied planes strafe Stauffenberg's compound, pocking his body with bullets and destroying his left eye, his entire right hand and two fingers on his left.

Three months later, Stauffenberg returns to Germany a hero. But despite his rank, medals and accolades, the German is a Nazi traitor-in-waiting. It doesn't take long for a band of conspirators—a small but influential group of politicians and generals—to find and usher him into its inner circle.

The goal? Overthrow or kill Hitler to preserve Germany and, perhaps, save Europe.

"We have to show the world that not all of us are like him," says Major General Henning von Tresckow, the conspiracy's military ringleader.

When von Tresckow is transferred to the front, Stauffenberg takes the major general's place as leader. He recruits new conspirators with an almost reckless alacrity. He recrafts Hitler's Operation Valkyrie—a blueprint for preserving the Reich should the fuehrer be killed—to serve Stauffenberg's own ends. And, because he has regular access to Hitler, Stauffenberg is more than the conspiracy's brain: He becomes the triggerman, too.

When the fateful day of execution arrives, Stauffenberg travels to a military briefing carrying two small bombs in his briefcase. The meeting is to be held in Hitler's reinforced concrete bunker, which will amplify the explosion. Everyone in the bunker, Stauffenberg is told, will be killed instantly. Once Hitler is dead, the conspirators will cut off and arrest Hitler's cronies, take control of the government and sue for peace.

Or so went the plan.

POSITIVE ELEMENTS
It's rare the words "treason" and "heroism" are comfortably linked. But in the case of Stauffenberg, the link, for many, works.

Stauffenberg is a traitor—he admits it himself, and owns up to its consequences—but to one of history's most immoral governments. He loves his country but hates its leadership, and the colonel believes that decapitating the Nazi beast would be less a political assassination and more a virtuous act of war. In hindsight, it's hard to argue. If assassination can ever be justified, it seems this would be as clear a case as one could imagine. When some of his other conspirators dither, Stauffenberg plows forward, undaunted—holding a firm, unwavering conviction that their cause is just.

"It is not that simple," says one would-be recruit, wrestling with a decision to throw in his lot with the conspirators.

"Yes," Stauffenberg says. "Yes, it is."

Stauffenberg's so sure of his cause, in fact, that he's willing to put not only his own life on the line, but the lives of his wife and children—people he clearly loves. Not that he's reckless about it. He knows the Reich will come after them if he's unsuccessful, so he sends his family far away from Berlin. And, when the conspiracy starts to head south, he frantically tries to contact his wife—putting in call after call until the Nazis cut the phone lines.

Most of the rest of the conspirators also are motivated by high ideals—though some differ on methods. One politician advocates confronting Hitler directly, believing that trying to assassinate him is immoral. "I would've thought a man of your caliber would've thought of a more honorable approach," he tells Stauffenberg.

SPIRITUAL CONTENT
The historical Stauffenberg was a practicing Catholic who justified his treasonous pursuits through theology and faith. The film doesn't spell this out, but it does hint at his motivations: As Stauffenberg gets dressed, the camera focuses on a cross and ring hanging around his neck. His first meeting with the conspirators takes place in a roofless, war-torn church, in which we see the anguished face of Jesus—a corpus hanging in the church—looking on.

Actually, many conspirators suggest that it's their divine duty to save Germany from Hitler. One refers to "sacred Germany" during his trial, and von Tresckow tells Stauffenberg, "Only God can judge us." A conspirator recalls the biblical story of Sodom, and how God would've s