Its star, Tom Cruise, began the shoot dogged by bad press and the shadow of a box-office flop, Lions For Lambs. Then shooting permits around the city of Berlin were delayed by the German authorities.

The film's release dates were delayed three times, usually a sign that studio executives do not know how or when to release a film. The thriller finally opened on Dec 25 in the United States and will open in Singapore on Thursday.

Much to director Bryan Singer's officer Claus von Stauffenberg (played by Cruise) and his part in a 1944 conspiracy to assassinate Hitler, has found a receptive audience in the US and overseas.

Speaking to Life! over the telephone last month while on a press tour in Seoul, South Korea, he is audibly pleased when he says: 'It's been doing fantastic. We are right there with the biggest- grossing films.'

The US$75-million (S$112-million) film is on track to turn a profit, with worldwide grosses of over US$126 million and rising.

'It's been a hit,' declares the much-in-demand director of action hero blockbusters Superman Returns and the first two X-Men movies.

The boyish-looking 43-year-old says he never had doubts about the soundness of the venture, despite the heavy cloud of controversy that hung over the 2007 filming.

'People are suddenly surprised it's good! What were they expecting? That I would make a bad movie? Have I made that many bad movies?' he demands combatively.

Pundits show their 'naivete' when they over-analyse a moving release date, he says. 'You will notice most of our bad press have come from people who have not seen the movie,' he offers.

Read the full report in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times' LIFE!