With dozens of films like “Saving Private Ryan” and “The Great Escape,”World War II movies are beginning to lose their flavor. But the true-to-life Nazi thriller “Valkyrie” takes a fresh look at the inner workings of the world’s most notorious mass murderers.

While some have not exactly given it satisfactory reviews, this may be because “Valkyrie” is not exactly a Christmas-y motion picture. It involves plenty of violence, plotting, and doesn’t give one mention of Santa. It is perfect for any onlooker who is hungover from too much Christmas cheer and is in need of some suspense.

Portraying German general Claus von Stauffenberg, Tom Cruise is moved by the tremendous loss of life of the German army due to the Nazis’ plot to take over the world. Cruise and his fellow conspirators plan to assassinate their leader, the infamous Adolf Hitler. After he is supposedly assassinated, Cruise and his compatriots institute operation Valkyrie, which allows the conspiring generals to take over the city and institute a stable government. It might have worked perfectly, if only Hitler had been killed.

What is a relief about “Valkyrie” is that it does not hold any prominent political undertones, like those seen in “Saving Private Ryan” or “Band or Brothers.” It’s just a good shoot-em-up spy movie, with plenty of conspiracy theories and gadgets which leave viewers too captivated by the movie to notice the mismatched accents of the “American” Germans.

For anyone who has a prejudice against traditional World War II movies, “Valkyrie” offers a nice change of pace. For those interested in Bond-esque spy flicks, it satisfies the secret agent crave. For viewers looking for intense dramatic flavors, go see “Milk” or “Doubt” or one of those other monosyllabic downers.