Tom Cruise makes a very bad Nazi

If the critics are to be believed, both Tom Cruise and his ex-wife Nicole Kidman (pictured) have presented film-goers with plump turkeys this Christmas. As reported here, the critical mauling of Baz Luhrmann's epic Australia, in which Kidman stars, is said to have left the actress "devastated". Now her former husband's latest release, Valkyrie, is faring no better, with reviewers focusing on the actor's unconvincing portrayal of the subject of the film, Claus von Stauffenberg, the German officer who attempted to assassinate Hitler.

Writing in USA Today, Claudia Puig said: "One of the most misguided aspects is casting Tom Cruise in the lead role. With his modern Yank-speak, Cruise sounds disturbingly American, detracting substantially from a believable portrayal of a German officer."

The New York Daily News was similarly minded. "Cruise," wrote its film critic, Joe Neumaier, "doesn't do himself any favours here. His penchant for disfiguring or masking his famous face (Vanilla Sky, Minority Report) has hit the silly point. Plus, he may be the goofiest-haired Nazi in history."

Christy Lemire from the Associated Press gave the most stinging review. "Cruise is both the central figure in Valkyrie and it's weakest link. He's distractingly bad in this … With his hard, flat American accent, he stands out in every single scene. And he's not a good enough actor to immerse himself in this kind of period piece."

German critics have been equally scathing. "Cruise as Stauffenberg is about as deep as a bowl of cornflakes," said the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. And the Taggespiegel went further, suggesting the film could end his career: "[He] may well continue storming the heights of the Scientology hierarchy - but his image as an actor has been finally ruined by Valkyrie."