Anthropoid

A solid performance with the likeable Cillian Murphy/Jamie Dornan duo. The first half is a bit too slow for me, but after the assassination the film picks up decently, there are some disturbing scenes and it all culminates with an excellent church shootout that has a lot of pizzazz and drive. A decent film about us. 75% (25/10/2016)

The assassination of Heydrich is undoubtedly a very strong theme, which this time was taken up by several countries, which had both advantages and disadvantages. For me personally, the biggest stumbling block was the unconvincing and dull performance of the actors in the first two thirds of the film, which was to some extent also caused by the fact that none of the actors used their mother tongue. I would honestly put the romantic line aside completely, because I found it mostly redundant. Nevertheless, the film picks up from the interrogations and the final church siege was very well shot and staged. Pity about the lacklustre and uninteresting (two-thirds of the way through) start. (07/04/2020)

A bleak, exclusively interior film with little panache. It's a bit of a shame, but you don't come across Spielberg every day, so the artistry is for next time. Fortunately, Anthropoid makes up for this with passion for the material, tenacity and a gripping last half hour. Murphy and Dornan are awesome. The testimonial value is of course next level. (24/10/2016)

I consider The Assassination from Jiří Sequens to be one of the best domestic films ever, and perhaps that is why I was slightly afraid of Anthropoid. Fortunately, there was nothing to worry about. Despite the accents (you can get used to them, but I hope that the best possible dubbing will be created), the film has everything it should have: A comprehensible and more or less untwisted story seen exclusively through the eyes of Gabčík and Kubiš, the great period atmosphere that Renč's Lída Baarová, for example, can only dream of, and, fortunately, also a huge narrative value for the familiar Czech and for the unsuspecting foreign viewer. I can't imagine how crushing the second half must be for someone who knows nothing about Anthropoid. The strain is palpable in the end, the shootout in the church absolutely riveting and the flooding of the crypt so hopeless... It brings tears to your eyes, and thanks to Sean Ellis, nothing that happens feels the slightest bit ridiculous. It's also more than pleasant that the Czech actors are definitely not lost next to the British aces, even Anna Geislerová was a good fit for Prague 1941/1942, and I have to say that she looked very good in the period, and I recommend Robin Foster's interestingly modern soundtrack for independent listening. (30/09/2016)

I'm very much looking forward to the dubbed version, which is probably a first. But otherwise, I have to admit that Anthropoid is a tasteful perspective from the outside and a good counterpart to The Assassination. The Czechs have small roles and, led by Aňa, they add to the atmosphere and the final shootout will make you hold your breath and keep your eyes wide open. (01/10/2016)