Directed by Sean Ellis and starring Cillian Murphy, Jamie Dornan, Charlotte Le Bon, Anna Geislerová, Harry Lloyd, Toby Jones and Marcin Dorocinski, Anthropoid is a World War II film which recounts a lesser known part of history, the true story of ‘Operation Anthropoid’. ‘Operation Anthropoid’ is the secret mission carried out by Czechoslovakian resistance fighters to assassinate SS officer Reinhard Heydrich in 1941.
Heydrich was the principal architect of the Final Solution, ranking third in the Nazi hierarchy after Hitler and Himmler, and served as the head of Nazi forces in Czechoslovakia. The film centers on two soldiers called Josef Gabčík, played by Cillian Murphy, and Jan Kubiš, played by Jamie Dornan, who are parachuted into their occupied homeland in December 1941.
Armed with limited intelligence and scant equipment in a tightly controlled city, they must come up with a way to kill Heydrich, an act that would have a significant impact on the course of history.
The film premiered on July 1, 2016, at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and was released in the UK on September 9, 2016.
The film was nominated for 12 Czech Lion Awards and has been praised for its gripping and realistic portrayal and performances, with many calling it both an intelligent and intense thriller.
Filmed entirely in Prague during summer 2015, the film used real locations and carefully recreated historical settings, including a studio replica of the Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral.
Brian Feeney wrote in a Google Review: “A gripping and thrilling film. Good acting and good viewing. Based on a true story on the assassination of Hitlers, Col Rehnheirt Heidrique (known as The Butcher of Prague).
“All the actors in this film performed brilliantly and the film had me on the edge of my seat when I had first seen it. A little horrific in small places (so be prepared for that).”
Jessica Lynn also said: “I loved this movie ! I had some doubts because I had seen a couple reviews saying it was boring and yada yada yada. So I thought I’d check it out and I was pleasantly surprised. The acting us great. Especially Cillian Murphy.
“All of the actors work fantastic together and it just makes it that much better. One thing I do wish would’ve been done is to have Heydrich play a bigger role than he did but nonetheless I absolutely loved it. If your into world war 2 stuff you’ll love this. 10/10. Definitely recommend.”
