Review #1,146: 'Anthropoid' (2016)

Although the emergence of the superhero genre and the re-emergence of the Star Wars franchise as a global phenomenon have turned audience's attentions towards conflict on a more galactic scale, film-makers still find a fascination with World War II and the smaller-scale, almost forgotten acts of heroism that occurred amidst the bloody madness. Whether it be soldiers on the front-line or the chess-playing at the very top, audiences also remain keen, and their frequent presence at the big Awards suggests that there is still a wealth of material to explore. The story of Operation Anthropoid has been told before, but never with such a grasp of the scale of these men's mission, and all the horror and hesitation that comes with it.

Sean Ellis' Anthropoid chooses to focus on two men - Josef Gabcik (Cillian Murphy) and Jan Kubis (Jamie Dornan) - from Czechoslovakia's government (now in exile) as they are parachuted back into their homeland during the German occupation. That same night, they are taken in by two fellow freedom fighters who offers them shelter from the harsh weather. They turn out to be betrayers and blood is spilled before Gabcik and Kubis flee to Prague. The stock footage shown on early establishes the context: With Czechoslovakia left without allies following the Munich Agreement, the Nazis quickly invaded. crushing any acts of rebellion with swift executions and routinely torturing suspects for information. Czechoslovakia was a very dangerous place to be in 1939.

Our two heroes have arrived in their homeland with one goal - to execute Reinhard Heydrich, the high-ranking Nazi official who masterminded the Final Solution and was dubbed the 'Butcher of Prague'. They touch base with their fellow freedom fighters, who all have a clear picture of the repercussions the country will face should the operation go ahead. This was never an assassination intended the win the war, but to make a global statement of their intent to fight the oppressive threat. It may be for the greater good, but it also means that thousands will die. This conflict is reflected in the two main characters. Gabcik is steely-eyed and determined to follow his orders through no matter what the consequences, while Kubis is the younger romantic, hoping to live long enough to see a better world.

Anthropoid is keen to study the effects such selfless heroism can have on a person, and the men many and women taking part in the operation do so with shaky hands, self-doubt and trepidation. Ellis keeps things incredibly reserved and low-key for much of the built-up, perhaps a little too much, but this time is spent enveloping you its paranoid and dangerous world, where a slip of the tongue in the presence of the wrong person could mean torture and brutal death. I must admit that I wasn't familiar with the ins-and-outs of the story before going into the film, so the climactic stand-off against a hail of Nazi bullets and pipe bombs in the Orthodox Cathedral was an exciting and emotional experience. It's all shot with a grainy, brown-y tinge by Ellis, who also acts as cinematographer, and helps to give the film a lived-in feel, avoiding the ugly sheen that plagues many a period piece.


Directed by: Sean Ellis
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Jamie Dornan, Anna Geislerová, Charlotte Le Bon, Toby Jones, Harry Lloyd
Country: Czech Republic/UK/France

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie