Anthropoid

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

I must admit, while I am usually about all things “The Walking Dead,” Friday night was a real treat as I indulged in my love for history and saw Anthropoid, the historical drama starring Cillian Murphy (“Peaky Blinders”) and Jamie Dornan (The Fall; Fifty Shades of Grey). So, I traded walkers for World War II and two of my favorite Irish actors and the trade was well worth it!

The movie is set during World War II, when Great Britain, France and Italy agreed to allow Nazi Germany to annex areas of Czechoslovakia. This was known as the Munich Agreement. German soldiers began to occupy the country and cause harm to any who resisted their presence. At that time, Czechoslovakia benefited the Nazis as they needed a place to produce their weapons and motors for the war effort.

Hitler then invaded Poland and had appointed Reinhard Heydrich (portrayed by Detlef Bothe in the film), one of the architects of The Holocaust, to “Germanize” Czechoslovakia. Realizing their mistake in doing this, Great Britain sends in two Czech agents, Jozef Gabčík (Murphy) and Jan Kubiš  (Dornan) to execute Operation Anthropoid: the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. Heydrich was aptly titled “The Butcher of Prague” and was viewed to be ruthless and have an “iron heart.” Therefore, his plan to “Germanize” would come with a hefty price.

Joining forces with the remaining members of the Czech resistance, Gabčík and Kubiš put their mission into action with other resistance members. Enlisting the help of individuals who had access to Heydrich’s home, the men pieced together a plan that involved isolating their target from his security to insure maximum damage. And so the plan is set to target Heydrich while he is in his car driving, open and vulnerable to an attack. The agents successfully manage to mortally injure Heydrich, despite a huge hiccup in their plan as Gabčík’s gun malfunctioned when he went to shoot Heydrich. Fortunately, Kubiš was able to disable Heydrich’s vehicle with a homemade bomb.

As an unfortunate result,  Gabčík, Kubiš and five other Czech agents are forced into hiding in a church as the Germans begin to slaughter innocent Czechoslovakians until the agents are caught. The Germans refuse to let up until someone comes forward with information, even offering reward and safety to those who provide names.

Ultimately, one of the members of the Czech resistance, Karel Čurda (Jirí Simek), came forward and ratted out the other members aiding the agents. But it was Ata Moravec (Bill Milner), son of resistance supporter Marie Moravec (Alena Mihulová), who put the final nail in the coffin by providing the Nazis with their location. Of course, Ata only provides this information after being beaten viciously during interrogation.

While Operation Anthropoid is a World War II history lesson as it is a true story that most are unaware of, the most important part of this operation was that it changed the war in significant ways. Also, Heydrich’s death was the most successful government-organized assassination of a top-ranking Nazi in World War II.

The only flaw I could find with the movie is the romantic aspect during such an integral mission. When Marie Kovárniková (Charlotte Le Bon) and her friend Lenka Fafková (Anna Geislerová) provide help with the mission and are brought into the plan, both Dornan and Murphy’s characters develop relationships with the women. Granted, this plot twist helped in showing Gabčík and Kubiš’s vulnerability and struggle to balance their emotions with their mission, but was not necessarily needed.

In fact, what intrigued and scared me more was the church scene, especially Dornan’s scene there where Jan Kubiš is fighting for his life with the other Czech agents. While Kubiš was hesitant in prior scenes to fight, his final scenes had me balled up as he repeatedly fought to hold on, tossing bombs and shakily re-loading his weapon until he ran out of ammo and time. The tension was palpable. Also, Murphy’s final scene as Gabčík accepts his fate while the German soldiers push to annihilate the men? An absolute cathartic and heart-wrenching moment. You might need some Kleenex during these scenes. I know I did.

Co-Written, directed and produced by Sean Ellis (Cashback), Anthropoid gives us something that we could all relate to: a story about rebellion and perseverance in the face of true evil.  Both Murphy and Dornan bring out this fear, uncertainty and underlying hope for the mission that their characters Gabčík and Kubiš were tasked with: men willing to die for a cause that would hopefully release Czechoslovakia from Nazi Germany’s stronghold and prove their worth to be seen as an Ally.

Jenn’s Grade: A- Because Sean Ellis, Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan are making history cool again.