Movie Review: Anthropoid (2016)

Anthropoid (2016) co-written and directed by Sean Ellis

Operation Anthropoid was occupied Czechoslovakia's plan to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, Hitler's third in command. The exiled Czech government wanted to demonstrate their commitment to the Allied cause, so they parachuted in several soldiers to kill Heydrich, who was ruling the country. The local factories were important to the German war effort and Heydrich was there to keep the people in line through whatever means necessary. This fictional account of the story follows two soldiers, Josef (Cillian Murphy) and Jan (Jamie Doran) as they parachute into the woods outside Prague and make contact with the local resistance.

The movie is an exciting telling of a less-well-known incident during World War II. The two soldiers face many challenges staying under cover and planning the attack. The resistance has slowly lost members as Heydrich's reign of terror cracks down. The assassination plan is very dangerous and some resistance leaders think it will be too costly. The soldiers have to negotiate for resources while they plan the kill. And they become romantically involved with local resistance women. The movie has plenty of drama and only once or twice boils over into melodrama.

I enjoyed the film as a work of serious historical fiction and would recommend it.