Anthropoid

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. (02.10.2016)

The first movie about Czechs in a long time that we needn’t feel embarrassed about. Operation Anthropoid was a purely political move meant to prove to the Brits that Czechoslovakia had the right to reappear on the map. It demonstrated that we were still a force to be contented with and it’s a little strange that this was filmed by a Brit and not a Czech. This was a project of love for Sean Ellis and that is evident throughout the movie. The beginning is rather slow, but this gives Kubiš and Gabčík the chance to gain sympathy with the viewer, and the year 1941 certainly wasn’t all hustle and bustle. The range of different accents didn’t bother me, and could be expected due to the international cast. Super acting, Dornan tries very hard, Murphy in Shelby mode (from Peaky Blinders) and both of the girls are really fine. The atmosphere of fear and anticipation works perfectly and the bloodbath finale in the church is both naturalist and full of despair. Just that dumb piano toward the end spoils things. A decently filmed piece of history which, despite minor flaws, is on a level with the competition. (28.09.2016)

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. (25.10.2016)

Of course we would prefer if it was made by Spielberg or Polanski with their elegant optics and artistic touch. Anthropoid has nothing like that. But let’s be glad Sean Ellis made it into at least a decent action thriller. The actors are fine given that the screenplay doesn’t give them much to work with and the period atmosphere is captured well. Ellis also gives it the necessary momentum, like a mechanical but skillful cameraman who knows how to achieve both dynamics and fluidity. The climax in the cathedral is satisfactorily long and precisely escalated. And the main thing: when watching Anthropoid, I was proud for a moment that I come from Czechoslovakia. (05.10.2016)

The expectations were sky-high and the result was definitely worth it. Having said that, I definitely recommend watching this movie – if possible – with dubbing. This might be the only movie for which I would recommend that, but at the same time I believe that it’s still better than listening to that “Czech” English spoken by English actors, which, according to the director, was his intention to be able to differentiate Czechs from Germans. And I don’t hold it against him. I got over it quite quickly, but I understand that it might be grating for some people. What was worse was the camera, which in some crucial action scenes was flying around like a rag on the broom wielded by a Ukrainian cleaning lady. But what the hell, I got over that as well and I have to admit that despite some uncertainty during the assassination scene, I was literally excited about the final scene in the church. And that was despite the camera flying about, which added the right amount of confusion to the scene and thus created undoubtedly the best war scene of the past few years. But it’s not only about these individual things. Anthropoid deserves praise mainly as a whole. I don’t think I’ve seen such cooperation between Czech and English filmmakers. That cooperation alone makes the movie unique in my mind. If somebody is giving this a two-star review, I guess they watched the same movie but didn’t perceive what I did. This was the first time that somebody wanted to take a story from Czech, or rather Czechoslovak history and present it to the whole world. And Adam Ellis was a great choice in my opinion. This incredibly sad story deserves global attention. And I believe that Anthropoid did its best! (03.10.2016)