Tom Cruise has defied expectations and won favourable reviews from German critics for his portrayal of a Prussian army officer who tried to assassinate Hitler in 1944 in the Hollywood film Valkyrie.
German reviewers who were initially highly suspicious have warmed to the film, describing it as a serious work, and Cruise has overcome unease about his suitability for the role.
"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," said public broadcaster ZDF.
"Cruise plays his part decisively, coolly -- a solid performance."
The Hollywood actor plays Col. Claus Von Stauffenberg, who planted a briefcase bomb under a table at Hitler's military headquarters in eastern Prussia on July 20, 1944. The heavy wooden table saved Hitler, who suffered only minor injuries.
Stauffenberg was executed the same night with his co-conspirators and his legacy helps ease the burden of guilt about the Second World War and the Holocaust Germans still endure.
Initially, Germans baulked at the prospect of Cruise, star of blockbusters such as Top Gun, playing Stauffenberg. Stauffenberg's son even called on Cruise to "keep his hands off my father" and go home.
Many Germans objected to the actor's ties to Scientology, and Berlin made it difficult for the crew to film in the Bendlerblock building and courtyard where Stauffenberg was shot dead.
Germany does not recognize Scientology as a religion and regards it as a cult.
Valkyrie, directed by Bryan Singer, opened Dec. 25 and fared better than sceptics had predicted, reaching No. 4 in the North American box office ratings for the three-day weekend starting Dec. 26.
Before its German release in January, some commentators said Cruise may help to boost the country's image by taking the tale of Stauffenberg to a broader audience.
Frank Schirrmacher, co-publisher of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, said Cruise's depiction would change the image the world has of Germans.
In the ZDF review, German director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, whose The Lives of Others won a foreign- language film Oscar, described the casting as a stroke of good fortune.
"Germany's hope is called Tom Cruise."
