Operacja Anthropoid

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)

51st KVIFF - the beginning is a little embarrassing, until you get used to that terrible and disjointed mix of Czech and fake Czech accents. But the moment they stop talking and get down to business, it’s quite a trip till the end. I wasn’t expecting anything better, satisfaction. (04.07.2016)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

No other foreign film has pleased me so much as a Czech patriot. The first half is more or less mandatory, in order to introduce the main characters and their resistance and love personalities, but the second half, from the beginning of the assassination to the final shot, swept me away thanks to the brilliant dramatic timing, the beautiful raw action and the flawlessly orchestrated emotions. And I experienced the glorious church battle with the characters, even though the outcome was inevitable. The moment Cillian Murphy, by now a truly deserving member of my acting top 20, shouted "We are Czechs!", all my hair stood on end, including the ones I’ve already lost, and in a rush of euphoria I had an irrepressible urge to confirm his patriotic cry with several pints of proud Czech beer. While it’s disappointing that there’s little space for the villains (this is a film about Nazis with by far the fewest swastikas on the screen), I’m impressed by the very honest and emotional treatment of the courageous victims, and pleased by the performance of not only Murphy but also the convincing Dornan. Only that instead of Geislerová the creators could have used the burgeoning sex appeal of Vika Kerekes, Anya is getting on in years and the make-up artists didn't exactly help her much. (17.12.2016)

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)

Ellis had been thinking for so long about how he was actually going to conceive the film when suddenly filming started here. The result is a jagged mutant that straddles the line between a classic wartime love in the times of Nazi cholera and a stripped-down historical reenactment with occasional glimpses of Hollywood narrative crutches (the recurring motifs of putting a bullet in the chamber, Shakespeare, Geislerová under the hose). The result is a dull grey where you don't give a damn. The romantic storyline is uninteresting because the characters are completely alien and impenetrable, and the relationship entanglements in turn detract from the reenactment. There are strengths in the sub-elements that Ellis can dabble in, especially in the second half, and that's why the assassination itself and the action climax in the church manage to hook you appropriately with their relentlessness, intensity, and confused subjective camerawork. This raises the question, then, of where the scenes came from where we have a close-up of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in the hands of one character reading perhaps the most famous line from the play to another, whereupon he dramatically slams the volume shut and says "That was Shakespeare." The only thing that thus ties the whole thing together is the fecal brownish filter with which it is smeared. And by the way, the ones who once again lose the whole Operation Anthropoid thing here are the Germans, who again fill their roles from dozens of computer shooter games, where their role is either to yell German and bully civilians in the street, or to yell German and climb into the heroes' wounds. That's how you conquer two-thirds of Europe, it takes real savvy. (19.01.2017)

One star for the convincing-looking Heydrich and K. H. Frank and for casting Jan Budař as Chlumsky. In terms of historical accuracy, it deserves to be booed. The film is inspired by historical events, but only uses a rough outline and names. Already in the opening, the transport of Gabčík and Kubiš to Prague without the necessary documents and in a truck was ridiculous. The resistance equips the paratroopers with cyanide capsules (funny). Many parts of the story were obviously taken from the memoirs of Ladislav Vaněk, who knew hardly anything about the assassination when the war had ended, but his role in the whole operation grew exponentially as the years went by. If he hadn't died, he probably would have convinced everyone that he had planned the assassination and given the order himself. The whole film is in fact a kind of Protectorate sci-fi, which eventually turns into Wolfenstein and has the Germans dying by the dozens. A film that I found much more realistic was the Czech TV film Operace Silver A, which drew on reliable historical sources and offered a much better result even without the co-production. (14.11.2016)

When I saw the beginning and heard the awful attempt to suggest that they weren't American/English soldiers but rather Czechs speaking English in the Protectorate like any other citizen, it grated on my ears and bothered me. However, once you get used to it, you realize you have in front of you a good, action-packed, and historically fairly accurate story about the assassination of Heydrich. (24.10.2016)

I was a bit worried that it would be a mess, but in the end, I was pleasantly surprised by this international collaboration led by Sean Ellis. I would start with the casting, which was really well done, and especially Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan portrayed the roles of assassins Josef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš excellently. The first half of the film may have been unnecessarily drawn out, but then the dramatic final gunfight in the church would probably not have felt so dramatic, which was also very believable. Perhaps the creators could have spared us the seductive Aňa Geislerová beckoning us to the other side. Still, I think Anthropoid made a worthy end to an infamous milestone in Czech history. (75%) (07.06.2020)

As a Czech, my heart skipped a beat when I heard that one of the great stories of our little country was going to be made into a film by a foreign production, with a cast that includes Cillian Murphy, Toby Jones, and Jamie Dornan (those who’ve seen him other than in Fifty Shades of Grey know that he is not a bad actor). Sean Ellis did not have an easy task and it is natural that the Czech audience will judge the film more strictly. The first half is a bit slower and slightly forgettable compared to the second half. On the way back from the screening, I had to force myself to remember what actually took place there. I didn't mind the Czech accent, I got used to it very quickly. What I found strange, though, is that some of the actors spoke British English while others spoke English with a Czech accent. But I have to agree with what other reviews say, that Gabčík and Kubiš really come across as if they were foreigners in their homeland. In my opinion, the reason is the supporting Czech cast (Geislerová, Mihulová, Zach, Budař...). They are familiar faces for the Czech public and therefore, when Murphy and Dorman are seen together with them on the screen, the two protagonists feel like foreigners. At least that’s the way I see it. I didn't like the vague work with time – when Cillian says they've been preparing for the attack for four months, it's a bit of a shock, as is Kubiš and Kovárníková's engagement (they've been dating for like two days?). Not to mention the second half of the film, where from the assassination to the final showdown in the church, you get the feeling that it could have been two days at most, when in reality it was three weeks. But that would be the end of my complaints. Anthropoid, especially the second half, evoked a range of emotions in me: from pride and admiration to horror and sadness, and even hope. Even though you know how it's going to end, you're hoping for a miracle and a different ending to the story than the one we know – it’s almost like watching Titanic hoping it won’t sink :) So, after a long time, I left the cinema devastated. This is due to the story itself but also to some brutal scenes that I didn't expect at all. Sean Ellis didn't mess around with some of the scenes, something I appreciate, because many directors today shoot very carefully. I found the film, apart from a few quibbles, to be very good and would happily watch it again, and I hope a lot of people will watch it abroad. It is a story that deserves attention and deserves to be known and not forgotten. (13.10.2016)