Haveyou seen the new James Bond movie? We finally went last week. There were twopreviews before the main event: one for the Tom Cruise movie, Valkyrie,and the other for the new Vin Diesel movie, Fast and Furious. In allthree of these movies, the 'heroes' are working violently outside of the legalparameters. If Aristotle is right and we are what we repeatedly do, are we perhaps also what we repeatedly watch?

UsuallyJames Bond is depicted as working for the good guys but in the new film it isless clear his actions are in support of a righteous cause or that the level ofviolence is anything more than a response to grief and retribution. Fast andFurious, appears to involve an underground movement. The film's makers tellus, "Two men will find the best way to get revenge…."
A violence prone responsewould not be surprising in attempting to stop Hitler. Nevertheless, choosingviolence should never be an easy choice, nor, perhaps should be watchingviolence.

Oneof those arrested for his involvement in the plot to kill Hitler was DietrichBonheoffer. I don't know if his character will show up in the Valkyrie movie or not.However, he is an extraordinarily helpful guide when we contemplate thisquestion of doing violence for a righteous cause. Bonheoffer saw a church whichpracticed a ritualized reconciliation with God but ignored the need to developreal reconciliation with those around oneself. He saw a church which did notrespond to an extermination plan towards Jews and many others. In his writings,one sees Bonheoffer struggle with what it means to be faithful to the call tobe reconciled and reconciling and the dilemma that posed when it came toHitler.

Violenceis attractive to audiences but the real story of Operation Valkyrie involvedmany people of faith in the deepest wrestling about the choices they weremaking as they planned assassination. Will we see that conversation in thismovie or the others? Will we participate in the conversations about the limitsof such violence? Valkyrie, the movie, is categorized as a'thriller'; the real story would find a better home in a category like "moral dilemma". But then do you think anyone would go?