"No Country for Old Men" grossed 100 million dollars in North America, marking another film by Ethan that surpassed the hundred-million-dollar milestone.
If it were any other director, they would surely make a big deal out of it, and the media would shower them with praise.
But for Ethan, this achievement was no longer something worth boasting about.
Because for him, a hundred-million-dollar box office was already routine. Since his debut, none of his films had grossed less than 100 million.
So, the media didn't report much on this film. Instead, film critics widely praised it as a bold attempt to break traditional cinematic storytelling, well deserving of the Berlin Golden Bear Award.
Meanwhile, as the promotional campaign for Inception continued, Valkyrie finally made a breakthrough.
Negotiations with Germany had taken a crucial step forward. Under the dual influence of money and connections, they successfully overturned the previous ban.
The authorities granted permission for the crew to film at the Bendlerblock, a World War II memorial site.
Lifting the ban meant the production could proceed as planned, and Ethan had to take time out to oversee various arrangements for the film.
However, unlike the linear storytelling of the previous version, Ethan adopted a dual-montage narrative this time.
One storyline follows Stauffenberg and his group as they execute their assassination attempt on the Führer (Adolf Hitler's Title).
The other depicts the Führer's daily life, including Germany's strategic deployments and some chilling activities in the concentration camps.
Simply put, the two storylines run parallel and only converge at the end to reveal the truth—
The second timeline actually takes place after the assassination attempt, meaning the plot twist is that the attempt was destined to fail.
The moment the Führer orders executions, the two timelines intersect, unveiling the harsh reality to the audience.
After Ethan explained this narrative structure, the screenwriter was the first to get excited:
"Brilliant! This idea is incredible!"
"This will enhance the suspense of the entire film. Even though the audience already knows the Führer wasn't assassinated, they will still be deeply invested in the protagonist's fate."
"And when the protagonist believes they have succeeded, only for the cruel reality to be exposed—this will make the impact on the audience even more profound."
"Let's go with this! I'll revise the script immediately!"
Once the script was finalized, Ethan worked with the props and special effects teams to plan the film's sets.
Clearly, he didn't invest as much energy in this project as he did with Inception. That was the difference between a personal passion project and a side endeavor. Still, he fulfilled his responsibilities.
On the other hand, producer Yuris was much more involved, running around handling many of Ethan's tasks on his behalf.
By July, the crew flew to Germany's World War II memorial site to begin filming as soon as possible—before the German government had a chance to change its mind and kick them out.
The cast included not just Tom Cruise but also several seasoned actors.
For example, Bill Nighy from Underworld, Kenneth Branagh from Hamlet, and Tom Wilkinson from Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility.
However, female roles were far fewer in comparison. The only notable actress was Carice van Houten, while the rest were minor supporting characters with barely any lines.
Ethan arranged a small role for Fischer. Though she only had two scenes, she still took time off from work to join the production.
When she arrived on set, filming officially began.
Because the scenes requiring Berlin city permits had to be completed quickly, they deployed over a dozen tanks and military vehicles on the first day.
Ethan stood outside the set, meticulously scrutinizing every detail and continuously correcting the actors' movements through a microphone.
"Adjust the lighting 30 degrees to the left. Right now, it looks too direct—like stage lighting."
"Actors, stay away from the tanks. These machines may look impressive, but they can malfunction. If they roll over your legs, we don't have the equipment to save you."
"And those extras standing by the bomb crates drinking water—who let you in? Get lost, now!"
"Cruise! Your hat is crooked! Fix it. If the Führer sees that, he'll immediately suspect you're a spy."
Seeing Ethan being so strict, almost ruthless, Fischer pouted slightly, feeling a bit nervous. She feared this hard-earned opportunity would slip away.
Her worries quickly came true. During a scene where she had to report to her superior, Ethan harshly criticized her performance.
"What are you doing? Pouting your lips—are you trying to kiss your commanding officer?"
"Stand properly! You're a soldier! But look at your posture now—it's like a cheap seductress!"
"If you keep acting like this, I'll cut you from the film. Understand?"
"Move on to the next take. This is your last chance. If you don't get it right, you're done."
Even though they had spent a night together, Ethan didn't go easy on her in the slightest.
It wasn't about putting her down—Ethan simply couldn't allow such poor acting in his film.
As a result, Fischer's confidence took a severe hit.
Some of the male actors, especially the younger ones, tried to comfort her.
But she still felt dejected.
That evening, during dinner, she approached Ethan while he was resting.
"Am I just not cut out to be an actress?" She got straight to the point.
Ethan nodded. "More accurately, you're not suited for this type of film."
"What do you mean?" Fischer sat beside him, subconsciously twirling her brown hair.
"Your presence and acting style don't suit serious roles."
A real actor can adapt their aura and performance to fit a character.
But Fischer couldn't. She naturally exuded a sweet and obedient charm, effortlessly triggering male hormones.
After processing his words, Fischer thought for a moment and then said, "Then I won't be an actress anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"I give up. I think I'm more suited to just being a pretty face." Fischer made this decision very decisively, which made Ethan look at her in a new light.
"So, can you take some photos of me?" She leaned in and smiled.
Ethan was stunned for a moment, then also smiled and said, "My photography fees are quite expensive."
Fischer licked her lips. "Giving myself to you entirely isn't enough?"
"Director, the scene is ready!"
"Okay, let's get started." Ethan stood up and picked up the microphone. Seeing this, Fischer also put away her playful expression and stood behind him, watching the film shoot.
This scene involved coordinated combat between trucks and tanks, with various explosive charges placed to create a background of artillery fire. However, the crew had promised the German government that they wouldn't damage any locations, so everyone was extremely cautious, especially the explosives team, who checked the blast radius multiple times before filming.
After everything was finally set, Ethan announced, "Action!"
The tanks and trucks immediately started moving.
Each vehicle was filled with extras playing soldiers, looking solemn and disciplined.
To better observe the entire set, Ethan even used binoculars to check the condition of each vehicle and the actors' performances.
Soon, the convoy was nearing the end of its route, and the explosive charges detonated successfully.
However, just as everything seemed to be going smoothly, Ethan suddenly noticed what looked like sparks coming from the side door of one of the trucks.
He blinked and looked again, but nothing happened, as if the sparks had been an illusion.
If it were any other director, they might not have paid attention to such a minor issue. At most, they would check it after the scene was finished.
But Ethan had complete confidence in his eyesight—he was sure he hadn't imagined it.
That meant only one thing: there was really a problem with that truck's door.
So he immediately picked up the microphone and shouted, "Cut!"
This startled everyone.
"Ethan!" Producer Yuris ran over. "We're almost done with this shot. What's wrong? If we reshoot, we'll have to reset all the explosive charges!"
He hadn't noticed any problems—everything was following the script—so he figured Ethan must have made a mistake.
"I said, cut! I don't care about the explosives or the cost. If I think something's wrong, we have to stop. That's all there is to it!" Ethan didn't offer any explanation. Calling "cut" was a director's prerogative—on set, he was in charge.
Yuris wanted to argue further, but Ethan had already taken a step forward and shouted, "Cut!" again.
This time, the crew completely stopped filming, and the vehicles halted.
Yuris was visibly frustrated but said nothing, waiting to see why Ethan had stopped the scene.
"Everyone, get off the vehicles and let the technicians inspect the interiors."
Instead of getting an explanation, they got this strange order.
The extras disembarked, and the technicians checked each vehicle, reporting their findings.
"The tanks are fine."
"The trucks are fine."
At this, everyone turned their eyes toward Ethan, and the pressure on him increased.
This wasn't his usual crew, so they couldn't blindly trust him.
But Ethan showed no reaction to the pressure. He simply pointed out the truck in question and had it removed, replacing it with a new one.
Yuris shrugged in confusion, assuming Ethan was just trying to save face.
But Ethan ignored him and sat back in his director's chair, waiting for the crew to finish the replacement.
Then, just as the driver was moving the truck off the set, everyone suddenly heard a strange noise, and the back half of the truck caught fire.
"Boom!"
The rear section of the truck split apart, flames shooting into the sky, followed by an explosion right before everyone's eyes.
This was beyond anyone's expectations. Their mouths hung open in shock.
"The truck really had a problem!" One crew member swallowed hard, realizing how disastrous it would have been if it had exploded during filming—many people could have been injured.
"No wonder they call him 'Lucky Ethan,'" another crew member muttered, recalling Ethan's nickname.
Once again, everyone's eyes turned to Ethan.
Yuris had nothing left to say. If this had happened during the shoot, it would have made headlines in The New York Times, and the German government would have definitely held the production responsible.
Even if no one had been killed, the injured extras would have demanded massive compensation from the studio.
In fact, something like this had happened in a previous timeline—a truck explosion had injured twelve extras, one of them seriously.
They had sued MGM and United Artists, demanding $11 million in damages, which was no small sum.
It had to be said that the filming of Assassinating Hitler was riddled with setbacks. Even though they had avoided this explosion, other accidents still lay ahead.
For instance, while filming an overhead shot, a camera unexpectedly fell from above, crashing onto the ground.
Luckily, no one was hurt.
Then, while shooting at the war memorial site, when Tom Cruise and the other actors were walking in German military uniforms, the recording equipment suddenly picked up a strange noise—a sharp, high-frequency scream.
The sound engineer was so frightened that he immediately called Ethan over, saying he wanted to quit.
Ethan and Yuris had to persuade him for a long time, and even brought in a priest to perform a blessing ceremony.
After this incident, the entire crew became tense, afraid they had disturbed the spirits of WWII soldiers.
Many even bought small crucifixes overnight to carry with them.
But Ethan felt it was just psychological—like the strange recording, which was likely caused by wind noise or equipment malfunction.
However, rumors were always easier to believe, and even Ethan couldn't stop them from spreading.
And after they finished shooting at the war memorial, another bizarre accident happened.
"What? The scrap footage was sent to the film processing lab?" Ethan was momentarily stunned, then asked in exasperation, "Was the delivery guy high? Or was he drunk and unable to tell the reels apart?"
"Sorry, director, he said he was watching carefully..." The assistant director looked embarrassed and explained, "But when he was picking up the film, he said he heard your voice telling him to take the reel on the left, so he switched it at the last minute..."
"My voice?" Ethan almost laughed. Did that delivery guy think this excuse would keep him from getting fired?
"Mistake or not, an error is an error. I—"
But just as Ethan was about to make his decision, Yuris suddenly burst in, shouting, "Ethan, our footage is ruined!"
"What?" Ethan frowned. "What do you mean? We haven't even processed the film yet!"
"?"
Yuris was stunned. He looked at the assistant director, and the assistant director looked back at him.
"I just got a call from the lab. One of their temps used the wrong chemicals, and the reel is completely destroyed."
"Ah!"
The assistant director was dumbfounded.
"So what's the situation now?" Yuris was confused.
"Nothing special. We'll just reshoot as usual. But..." Ethan shrugged. "Maybe we should throw a celebration party for that delivery guy."