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

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 | Valkyrie

Tom 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 Pitt

Brad 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.”
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.