I'm still a man, right?

I watched a movie today that made me cry. Well, technically my eyes just got a little watery. No actual tears appeared, but it was darn close. This sort of thing is, I assure you, a very rare occurrence. In fact, I can think of only two other movies - Schindler's List and Charly - which evoked this level of emotion inside of me. Hopefully this doesn't mean that my man-ness isn't on the decline. After all, after two days I was winning our office mustache-growing contest. That's proof enough, isn't it?

The reason I'm blogging about this isn't necessarily to show my tender side. Rather, I feel the need to explain it because it was such a surprise. I never would have guessed that this particular movie would choke me up.

The movie is Valkyrie, Tom Cruise's recent drama flick. It chronicles the last and most famous assassination attempt on Hitler's life made by German citizens. I hadn't intended to even watch the movie since I more or less already knew the about this unsuccessful coup, but more so because I think Cruise is a loony and I hate most of his self-promoting movies. Aside from Last Samurai, I can't think of any Cruise movie I've ever really enjoyed. Regardless, I got the movie from Netflix and watched it this evening.

Long story short, I enjoyed the movie. I found it to be a very compelling drama and a fascinating "what-would-you-do ?" character study. However, it wasn't until the credits rolled that I felt a knot in my throat. Up until then it was just a story. But there at the very end - after seeing or being told the fate of each of the key conspirators - it hit me. And here is what it was:

These men gave their lives for the greater good of their fellow men. They had families and they were certain that if the coup failed, not only would they die, but their wives and children would suffer as well. But they chose to do it anyway, because it was the right thing to do.

They knew, as did virtually everyone at the time, that it was only a matter of time before the Third Reich would be gone. The writing was on the wall, so to speak. They could have taken the easy way out and simply waited until someone else fixed their problem for them. Or they could have taken an even more cowardly position by convincing themselves that they were not in control of their own destiny, or put another way, they had not other choice. Someone else was choosing their destiny for them.

I'll admit, I felt some real emotion and very real admiration for the men and women characterized in that movie. Even if 99% of the story was fabricated or embellished (this was Hollywood afterall) I still have to recognize the sacrifice that they really did make and I thank them for it.