ANTHROPOID – Review

The audiences that flocked to the multiplex for the return of JASON BOURNE may mean that there’s still a sizeable appetite for more reality-based espionage thrillers, rather than the more fantastic exploits of Bond and MI’s Hunt. What could be more reality-based than a true story, ripped from the source of some many tales of heroism, World War II? Like VALKYRIE, it’s the tale of an assassination plot against a very high-ranking Nazi, but not ole” Adolph once more. We’re talking the third in command, still a nasty despot (the main architect of the “final solution”). It’s a plot engineered by the resistance fighters of an occupied country, much as in the 2009 French docudrama ARMY OF CRIME. For this new film, the setting is not Paris but Prague as we meet the men and woman involved in operation: ANTHROPOID.

The story begins in late 1941, long after the forces of Nazi Germany have taken over Czechoslovakia. Two exiled Czech soldiers, Jan Kubis (Jamie Dornan) and Josef Gabcik (Cillian Murphy) parachute into a secluded forest in the dead of night. That next morning they sneak into Prague and meet with the other members of the resistance led by ‘Uncle’ Hajsky (Toby Jones). The mission assigned by their leaders now in the UK is to assassinate the “butcher of Prague” SS General Reinhard Heydrich. The men are given cover stories and sent to live with a local family. There they become romantically involved with two women, Marie (Charlotte Le Bon) and Lenka (Anna Geislerova), who also help the resistance. Jan and Josef continue to meet with the other agents, making weapons and mapping out Heydrich’s travel routines, this despite the lack of a real exit strategy. There will be no way out the country, but each is given a cyanide capsule in case of capture. A day of attack is agreed upon, but then comes word that the General will soon be sent back to Berlin. Despite conflicting top-secret messages, Josef moves up the time clock and is determined to complete the mission. What happens on the day and its repercussions help change the course of the war along with their beloved country’s destiny.

The main draw for the film may be the casting of Dornan, who made quite an impact last year as that lord of pain and romance, Christian Grey in FIFTY SHADES OF GREY. Many believed that he was more of a model than thespian in that “guilty pleasure”, but here Dornan really gets to create a believable, flawed character (although a real person) rather than a fantasy ideal. Jan may look like a standard movie spy, in the 007 mold, but his feet possess more than a hint of clay. Soon after chuting down he gets a bad case of the “jitters” when chasing down an enemy. Much later he’s prone to panic attacks, so Dornan’s giving us more than the expected cloak and dagger swagger. Luckily his partner is a calming influence, and Murphy plays Josef as the ultimate take charge “alpha dog”. The chain-smoking fighter is hyper-focused, which Murphy portrays as part of the man’s flaws. Once the mission has begun, Josef is only concerned about following through, his cohorts and casualties be damned. One big casualty is the budding romance he hesitantly begins with the timid, but also determined Lenka, who Geislerova plays as a reluctant warrior striving to prove herself. More assured is her “sister-in-arms” Marie who Le Bon portrays as a level-headed fighter who knows when to use her looks and her brains, tempting enemy thugs with a skirt adjustment so that the men can hide. Unlike Lenka, she falls whole-heartedly for the dashing, but emotionally damaged Jan. Jones is quite effective as the master planner who truly cares about the fate of his fighting friends, like an actual uncle, but, like them, will give his all for his revered land.

Many movie audience may initially be confused by the film’s title, thinking that this may be the start of monster franchise (“Anthropoid Vs. Mega-Shark” a future entry, perhaps), but those “in the know” will discover a brisk historical thriller from up and coming writer/director Sean Ellis (Anthony Frewin co-wrote this). He makes expert use of several real-life locations (some national landmarks), and the period cars and costumes have a gritty authenticity. The main problem is that this is a story, that of hidden agents facing an near-unstoppable enemy, told many times before (the exact incident was the basis for 1965’s THE ASSASSINATION), and aside from the top-notch actors, nothing new and fresh is brought to this telling. One problem may be the decision to have the cast speak in a heavily accented English, making the dialogue often tough to comprehend (a soft sound mix may be at fault). Maybe having them speak in their regular British accents would’ve worked better (Le Bon is French, while Geislerova is a true Czech) or doing the film in the Czech language with subtitles. And even though must of the facts are accurate, the protagonists seem like bumblers who succeed despite themselves (the mission’s execution is pretty “white knuckle” tense). The desired results of the mission are often murky. What would be gained by the general’s killing (The final title cards flesh things out more)? It all concludes with scenes of brutality (yes, we know these Nazis are vicious brutes) and hopelessness (the capsules are always at the ready). This WW II incident is worthy of  honoring, but the real heroes of ANTHROPOID deserve a much more memorable and compelling cinematic treatment.

3 Out of 5