“It’s that Hollywoodization of history”: Tom Cruise Failed to Live Up to His Own Standards for One Movie That Was Allegedly Ridiculed by Brad Pitt

𝘊𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦'𝘴 𝘔𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 · December 4, 2023

Unlike most of his releases with frequent collaborator Christopher McQuarrie, Tom Cruise’s WWII drama fell short in the history department.

SUMMARY

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  • Both Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise released WWII drama just two months apart from each other.
  • Tom Cruise’s Valkyrie was deemed historically inaccurate by historian James Rogers.
  • Back in 2009, reports emerged alleging that Brad Pitt called his Interview with the Vampire costar’s release ridiculous.

    • 2009 witnessed Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise releasing films based on WWII, and while the Pitt-led film was deemed one of Quentin Tarantino’s best works, the MI Star’s movie opened to mixed reviews. Despite being written by the Top Gun Star’s frequent collaborator Christopher McQuarrie and directed by X-Men creator Bryan Singer, Valkyrie failed to reach the bar set by Cruise in showbiz.

    While the historical political thriller was a modest success at the box office, it was criticized for being historically inaccurate, as one historian and NATO adviser stated it was the Hollywoodization of history

    Tom Cruise | ValkyrieTom Cruise’s WWII Drama Was a Classic Example of the Hollywoodization of History per War Historian

    Although the duo of Christopher McQuarrie and Bryan Singer have crafted some absolute bangers when it comes to thrillers, such as The Usual Suspects, Valkyrie wasn’t one of them. Starring Tom Cruise at the forefront, the movie follows the real-life assassination attempt of Hitler by a team of Nazi officers, however, per historian James Rogers, the movie took a lot of creative liberties. The war historian claimed the movie was another case of Hollywoodization of history, which isn’t uncommon in Hollywood, as real-life stories are often stretched in order to meet industry standards.

    Tom Cruise

    Rogers told History Hit:

    “I’m not going to lie, this is not my favorite war film. It’s that Hollywoodization of history.”

    But it wasn’t only war historian Rogers who expressed distaste for how the movie tackles WWII history, as back in 2009, reports emerged claiming that Brad Pitt allegedly hated Valkyrie.

    Brad PittBrad Pitt’s Statements on Valkyrie Lost in Translation per Spokesperson

    Two months after Valkyrie‘s release, Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, starring Brad Pitt, hit the big screens, which is often deemed as Tarantino’s best work. Pitt, who adopted a thick Southern drawl to do justice to his character in the film, which was inspired by real people, stated that there was no comparison between the two WWII movies. E! (via Digital Spy) alleged the actor further ridiculed the Tom Cruise-led WWII drama while speaking to the German Magazine Stern. He allegedly said,

    “It was a ridiculous movie, The Second World War could still deliver more stories and films, but I believe that Quentin put a cover on that pot.”

    Also read: WB Killed Will Smith’s I Am Legend Prequel After Cult-Classic 2007 Film Despite Tom Cruise’s Support

    Brad Pitt | Inglorious Basterds

    However, these statements were later debunked by the Seven Stars’ spokesperson, who stated that Pitt’s comments on Valkyrie were lost in translation, saying that Pitt didn’t even the Cruise-led movie.

    Valkyrie is available to rent on Apple TV.

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