Anthropoid (film)

Plot

It is the height of Nazi occupation in Europe.

In December 1941, two agents from the Czechoslovak government-in-exile, Jozef Gabčík (Cillian Murphy) and Jan Kubiš (Jamie Dornan) are parachuted into their occupied homeland. Jozef is injured when he crashes through a tree upon landing, but both men set out to find their contact in Czechoslovakia. They are discovered shortly after by two resistance fighters who turn out to be traitors; one is shot by Jozef but the other man escapes. Stealing their truck, the agents head for Prague.

When they seek out their contact, they are directed to Dr. Eduard (Sean Mahon), who stitches Jozef's foot, and arranges for the agents to meet other members of the resistance, led by "Uncle" Jan Zelenka-Hajský (Toby Jones). The agents reveal that they are to execute "Operation Anthropoid," an assassination of Reinhard Heydrich (Detlef Bothe), the main architect of the Final Solution, and the head of Nazi forces in German–occupied Czechoslovakia.

With limited intelligence and little equipment in a city under lock-down, Jozef and Jan must find a way to assassinate Heydrich, an operation that, they hope, will change the face of Europe. With the help of two young women, Marie Kovárníková (Charlotte Le Bon) and Lenka Fafková (Anna Geislerová) along with other plotters, the agents plan to ambush Heydrich as he arrives at his headquarters by car. When the agents learn that Heydrich is about to be transferred, the plan goes into effect with the duo bolstered by the addition of other agents who have been parachuted into Czechoslovakia and the remaining resistance fighters in Prague.

On 27 May 1942, the attack is carried out but nearly botched when Jozef's Sten submachine gun jams, but Heydrich is severely wounded when Jan throws a bomb that shatters his limousine, followed by Jozef's fusillade of gunfire. Immediately after, the assassins go on the run, and Nazi forces round up thousands of Czech citizens and carry out a terrible reprisal. When Heydrich dies, the combined group of seven parachutists are pursued to their refuge at the Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Prague. Resistance fighter Karel Čurda (Jiří Šimek) turns on the agents and reveals where they are hiding. The family who Jozef and Jan stay with are punished, their house attacked by numerous officers. The mother commits suicide by taking a cyanide tablet in the bathroom. The son is brutally tortured, which leads him to give in to the Nazis' demands. He tells them where Jozef and Jan are hiding, in the cathedral. Hundreds of Nazi troops storm the cathedral and all the agents are killed in a fierce battle.

Reprisals continue with the village of Lidice destroyed with all the males 16 years old and older shot, children gassed to death and women sent to camps. Another Czech village, Ležáky, is also destroyed and its inhabitants are murdered because a radio transmitter is found there. Ultimately, a total of 15,000 Czechs were killed in the aftermath of the "Heydrich Terror". The assassination of SS-Obergruppenführer Heydrich was the only successful government-organised assassination of a top-ranking Nazi in the Second World War.

Cast

Production

In March 2015, Jamie Dornan and Cillian Murphy had been cast in Anthropoid, with Sean Ellis directing a screenplay written by Ellis and Anthony Frewin. In May 2015, LD Entertainment boarded the film, announcing the casting of Charlotte Le Bon.

The film was shot entirely in Prague, and where possible, at the actual locations of the events they depict. Director Sean Ellis stated in interview that scenes in the Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius were filmed on an exact replica of the church on a studio backlot, so as to make the location recognisable to Czech viewers. Gestapo and Czech contemporary reports allowed Ellis to recreate the film's final act (the assassination and church siege) with extreme accuracy, and the film has garnered praise for its commitment to realism and true events. Intense planning was necessary to allow for the assassination itself to play in real time, with each resistance member's movements researched, planned and tracked in order to reflect actual events.

The principal photography for Anthropoid includes backdrops such as Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge in Prague, the locations where Operation Anthropoid took place. At the premiere screening and later advance screenings, audience members noted that the authentic street scenes were featured in the film.

Release

In July 2015, the first image of Dornan and Murphy was released. In May 2016, Bleecker Street acquired U.S distribution rights to the film. In June 2016, the first trailer was released.

Anthropoid had its world premiere at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on 1 July 2016, as the opening night film. It was released in the United States on 12 August 2016.

Critical response

Anthropoid received mixed reviews from critics. On the aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, Anthropoid has an approval rating of 66%, based on 99 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. On Metacritic site, the film has a score of 59 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

In his review for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw wrote, "An intelligent, tough, and gripping movie." The Washington Post's Christopher Kompanek gave the film four out of four stars, writing: "Anthropoid never feels formulaic—a surprise in a summer release. (With luck, Academy Award voters won't forget this one.)"