Anthropoid (2016)

Review

120min

Genre:       Fact-based, Drama, Thriller, War

Director:    Sean Ellis

Cast:         Cillian Murphy, Jamie Dornan, Charlotte Le Bon…and more

Writers:     Sean Ellis and Anthony Frewin

-Synopsis-

World War II period thriller based on the events of operation “Anthropoid”; a British SOE plan to use Czechoslovak resistance agents to infiltrate occupied Prague and assassinate Reinhard Heydrich; the 3rd figure in the “Third Reich” hierarchy, Himmler’s right-hand-man and one of the main architects of the Holocaust.

The sheer scope and all-encompassing nature of the second World War has proven fertile movie ground for over 70 years; yielding many a fascinating story to be told via the magic of cinema, and many that haven’t been seen yet, just ask any regular History Channel viewer. So it’s unsurprising that this story has been told before, on the big and small screen and across the continent, but with ‘Anthropoid’ British writer/director Sean Ellis brings us his take on an extraordinary tale of bravery, resistance and its brutal consequences.

This is the story of exiled Czechoslovak resistance soldiers Josef Gabcík and Jan Kubis; parachuted into Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia in 1942 with a mission planned by British SOE and approved by the exiled Czechoslovak government in London, to assassinate the deputy leader of the SS and effectively the 3rd most powerful man in the Nazi regime, SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich.

Heydrich was one of the most feared and brutal of all Nazis; a pure and uncompromising zealot of Hitler’s ideology who truly earned one of his many nicknames of “The Butcher of Prague”, after being sent to Czechoslovakia to “pacify” the local population. So the architects of “Operation Anthropoid” were well aware of the consequences of an operation designed to subvert Nazi rule, promote resistance and legitimise the Czechoslovak government-in-exile.

Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan star as Gabcík and Kubis respectively, and while neither Irish actor with “Matinée Idol” looks resembles their real-life characters, both deliver solid performances. Particularly Murphy in his portrayal of Gabcík as the more experienced, intense and conflict-hardened operative, with a total dedication to the mission.

Not content with writing, producing and directing the picture; Sean Ellis also functions as cinematographer for ‘Anthropoid’, to great effect. Capturing a vivid but faded look which combines seamlessly with the costume and general high-standard production design, conveying imagery that just looks right for the era and befits a dark and grim war thriller.

So ‘Anthropoid’ has several elements that might make for a compelling wartime drama/thriller, but it falls short of that thanks to several narrative and tonal issues. It has real pacing problems, this is initially a meticulous slow-burn war drama which shows the intricacies of preparing the mission, while trying to flesh out some characters to give a sense of what’s at stake and even weave in some romance, very unconvincingly it must be said.

Things then steadily build towards the actual assassination attempt in the 2nd act and then slow down again in the immediate aftermath, before culminating in an all-action siege at the end, which is captivating and saves the film in terms of entertainment value, but is out of place with what takes place before, particularly in terms of the dynamism and brutality.

The film stays generally close to the historical events and takes few artistic liberties, and there is a focus on making it a character drama which flirts with the nature of heroism and the moral implications of resistance. But by making it a drama focused on individuals, ‘Anthropoid’ skirts over the major consequences of the operation beyond the “heroes” it presents and those immediately around them.

Aside from literally one line in the film and one paragraph of text at the end, the film almost overlooks the atrocities committed by the Nazis in the villages of Lidice and Ležáky as a reprisal when their residents were wrongly accused of aiding the operation; where all the males over 15 were murdered and the remaining residents removed, some to concentration camps, and the villages then completely destroyed.  And the film also fails to illustrate the repercussions within Prague and the rest of the country, rendering much of the moral intent of the film’s narrative rather pointless.

We’re now curious to see what French director Cédric Jimenez does with his upcoming adaptation of this story ‘HHhH’, a version based on the novel by Laurent Binet and featuring an impressive ensemble cast, out in early 2017.

The Bottom Line…

Despite being based on a fascinating and troubling true story, ‘Anthropoid’ has too many narrative and pacing issues to make it a modern classic or a gripping War thriller; but thanks to solid lead performances within a well-crafted presentation and an enthralling conclusion, there’s enough here to make it a worthwhile cinema experience, and a must for those not familiar with the story.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Operation: Daybreak (1975)

The first English-language movie dramatisation of World War II operation “Anthropoid”, cronichling the events leading up to and the consequences of a mission by British-trained Czechoslovak resistance agents, to assassinate SS Obergruppenführer and high-ranking Nazi Reinhard Heydrich in 1942 occupied Czechoslovakia.

Directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Timothy Bottoms, Anthony Andrews and Anton Diffring among others.

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