Review of Anthropoid

Anthropoid (2016)
7/10
Based on facts about the operation carried out in Prague on 27 May 1942 against Reinhard Heydrich
3 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
During World War 2 , in 1942 Czechoslovakia , SS-General Reinhard Heydrich is appointed by Hitler to become the Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia , he is known as "The Butcher of Prague". As a squad of Czech expatriates formed by self-exiled Czech and Slovak soldiers (played by Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan) are parachuted into Czechoslovakia in order to assassinate the German governor Reinhard Heydrich , the main architect behind the Final Solution and the Reich's third in command after Hitler and Himmler . The group is assigned a dangerous mission called Operation Anthropoid , to execute a top-secret assignment that would change the face of Europe forever . It was hatched by the Allies after having been prepared by the British Special Operations Executive to eliminate a high-ranking Nazi (it is believed that Admiral Canaris passed crucial information to Allies for organizing the attack) . In Prague , the group is helped by partisans (Charlotte Le Bon , Sean Mahon , Toby Jones) . On 27 May 1942 , Heydrich proceeded on his daily commute from his home to Prague Castle. Gabčík and Kubiš waited at the tram stop at a tight curve . The spot was chosen because the curve would force the car to slow down . As Heydrich's open-topped Mercedes-Benz reached the curve , Gabčík stepped in front of the vehicle, trying to open fire, but his Sten gun jammed . Heydrich ordered his driver , SS-Oberscharführer Klein , to stop the car. When Heydrich stood up to try to shoot Gabčík , Kubiš threw a modified anti-tank grenade at the vehicle , and its fragments ripped through the car's right-rear fender , embedding shrapnel and fibres from the upholstery into Heydrich's body , even though the grenade failed to enter the car . The assailants initially hid with two Prague families and later took refuge in an Orthodox church dedicated to Saints Cyril and Methodius in Prague . The Germans were unable to locate the attackers until Karel Čurda of the "Out Distance" sabotage group was arrested by the Gestapo and gave the names of the team's local contacts for a bounty . The assassination of Heydrich was one of the most significant moments in the history of the resistance in Czechoslovakia and is considered to be the strongest act of defiance throughout occupied Europe . The act had such an impact that it led to the immediate dissolution of the Munich Agreement as signed by Great Britain and France , as well as Germany's ally Italy . Britain and France agreed that after the Nazis were defeated the annexed territory (Sudetenland) would be restored to Czechoslovakia. As Heydrich was one of the most important Nazi leaders , two large funeral ceremonies were conducted. The first one was in Prague , where the way to Prague Castle was lined by thousands of SS men with torches . The second was in Berlin attended by all leading Nazi figures , including Hitler, who placed the German Order and Blood Order medals on the funeral pillow . The betrayer Karel Čurda, after attempting suicide, was hanged in 1947 for high treason .

Film based on the true story of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in Prague . It explores the preparations , execution , and aftermath of this operation and the bloody revenge on the Lidice village . Operation Anthropoid shows the operation leading up to Heydrich's death as well as the massive German reprisals that followed it . One of the best things about this interesting film results to be its excellent recreation , shot in Prague with authentic scenarios , we have the full details of the events , the arrival of the command , the plan of attack , the realization of it , the Nazis retaliated with physical elimination of Lidice , and as they surrounded the Church of St. Cyril by the treachery of one of the components of the command . It was played by an magnificent plethora of actors , such as : Jamie Dornan as Jan Kubis , Cillian Murphy as Josef Gabcík , and Charlotte Le Bon , Brian Caspe and Jirí Simek as traitor Karel Curda . Furthermore , a functional and atmospheric cinematography by Sean Ellis himself . And an emotive as well as thrilling Original Music Score by Robin Foster . The motion picture was professionally directed by Sean Ellis . He is a craftsman and expert on all kind of genres . Sean Ellis was born in 1970 in Brighton , Sussex , England . He is a writer and director , especially known for Cashback (2006) , Metro Manila (2013) and Operación Anthropoid (2016).

It is based on on a true story that also was adapted by Fritz Lang , in 1943 ¨Hangmen Also Die¨ , ¨Hitler's Madman¨ (1943) and ¨Atentat¨ (1964) and in 2016 and 2017, two versions of the Heydrich assassination were released , ¨Operación Anthropoid¨ (2016) and ¨The man with the iron heart¨ (2017) by Cedric Jiménez with Rosamund Pike , Mia Wasikowska, Jack O'Connell, Jack Reynor , and Jason Clarke as Reinhard Heydrich and Stephen Graham as Himmler .
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