Anthropoid (2016)

There's a moment in Anthropoid where the weight of what these men are about to do settles on you like a stone. They know the odds. They know what reprisals will follow. They do it anyway. That tension, that moral clarity wrapped in genuine dread, is what makes the second half of this film so gripping. Getting there, though, requires some patience.

This is the true story of a small group of Czech and Slovak resistance fighters parachuted into Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia during the Second World War with an almost unthinkable mission: assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, the SS general widely regarded as one of the chief architects of the Holocaust. It is one of the most remarkable acts of resistance in the entire history of that war, and the fact that it actually worked makes it all the more extraordinary.

The film, to its credit, doesn't dress this up as a heroic action adventure. The whole thing is shot through with a grim, grey authenticity. The tension is real. The danger feels constant. And Cillian Murphy is outstanding, carrying the film with the kind of quiet, coiled intensity he does better than almost anyone working today. You believe him completely. Every hesitation, every steely decision, every haunted look, it all lands.

But here's the honest truth: this is a tale of two films stitched together, and only one of them is great. The first hour is a very slow burn. We watch the planning, the meetings in safe houses, the careful groundwork of the operation. It's necessary, I understand that, but it drags. The pacing loses its nerve in the first half, and there are stretches where you're willing the film to move. At two hours, there's probably a tighter ninety-minute cut in here that would make for a near-perfect thriller. The setup overstays its welcome in a way the story doesn't deserve.

When the assassination attempt finally comes, though, the film shifts gear completely. What follows is paranoid, claustrophobic and genuinely harrowing. The aftermath, the hiding, the closing net, it's gripping stuff. I found myself leaning forward in a way the first half never quite managed. The sound design deserves particular credit here. It's visceral and immediate in all the right moments. The cinematography too gives everything a cold, desperate texture that suits the material perfectly.

There's a comparison to be made with 1917 (2019), another war film that builds relentlessly towards something awful and inevitable, where the craft is in service of making you feel the human cost rather than the spectacle. Anthropoid is rougher around the edges, less polished, but the emotional honesty is just as strong in its better moments.

What stays with you isn't the action, it's the courage. These were real people who understood they were likely signing their own death warrants and pressed forward regardless. The film earns genuine respect for not flinching from that reality. It doesn't give you a clean ending, because there wasn't one. It gives you the truth, and the truth here is both devastating and quietly heroic.

So, a mixed bag in terms of structure, but a worthwhile one. If you've got patience for a slow opening and you're interested in a corner of the Second World War that doesn't get nearly enough attention on screen, stick with it. The back half rewards you. Three and a half stars.

Rating: ★★★½  | Year: 2016  | Watched: 2025-06-14

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Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Stream: MGM Plus Amazon Channel
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Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
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Physical: Amazon US

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