London, Dec 31 (IANS) Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise has got an unexpected boost for his role as a Nazi assassin in the movie “Valkyrie” after the film won over German critics who had protested during its filming.Cruise plays injured World War II Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, who led a plot to assassinate Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in 1944.

German reviewers were initially suspicious of the controversial film, fearing Cruise’s performance would mock the seriousness of the plot with von Stauffenberg’s own son calling for the actor to “keep his hands off my father” and bow out of the role, reports contactmusic.com.

“Valkyrie is neither scandalously bad nor the event of the century. Neither is it the action thriller we feared, but it is a well-made and serious film. Cruise plays his part decisively, coolly (with) a solid performance, though he won’t have a sniff at an Oscar,” said German public broadcaster ZDF.