The historical thriller and Tom Cruise vehicle "Valkyrie" was originally supposed to be released in the summer 2008 as a possible blockbuster. It was later delayed to the winter as potential Oscar bait. But "Valkyrie" belongs in neither category.

Instead, the Bryan Singer-directed film comes off as a run-of-the-mill thriller where the thrills come too late and too few.

Chronicling the failed assasination attempt of Adolf Hitler in 1944, "Valkyrie" follows Col. Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) as he begins to question the ideology Nazi movement and the atrocities against mankind Adolf Hitler has overseen in 1940s WWII. After losing an arm, some fingers and an eye in an African war zone, Stauffenburg decides to rally high-ranking military officers, including Major-Gen. Henning von Tresckow (Kenneth Branagh) retired Gen. Ludwig Beck (Terence Stamp), Gen. Friedrich Olbricht (Bill Nighy) communications commander Gen. Erich Fellgiebel (Eddie Izzard) while getting Gen. Friedrich Fromm (Tom Wilkinson) to look the other way while the conspiracy unfolds.

It's a lot of names to keep track of, and unfortunately, this is part of the reason why "Valkyrie" loses its footing. The introduction and exposition lasts the film's first 60 minutes and plays more like a History Channel special. When director Bryan Singer ("The Usual Suspects," "X-Men") finally decided to turn up the tension in the film's second half, it's effective but short-lived.

The film's assasination attempt that doesn't quite go according to plan and the military takeover that follows is taut with suspense and is helped by an effective musical score. But unlike a film like "Apollo 13," which also has a known historical outcome, it doesn't rattle the nerves throughout.

As for the film's many actors, none of them really make a lasting impression (or attempt to pull off even a remote German accent). It's a real shame given all the talent that's literally stuffed into the frame at times. Even as the film's marquee name, Tom Cruise comes off as stiff and lacks the emotional resonance despite having a character with the most noble of causes.

"Valkyrie," the name of the film and the real-life operation, both fail to accomplish their missions.