Anthropoid was in dangers of falling in an all too familiar trap when it was announced that another film covering the same story. HHhH, the other story started to go into production just an Anthropoid was filming and there was a real danger that the the conflict would have an effect on the finished film due to audience expectations or a rush to complete the project giving enough time between the films to allow both to be successful. Fortunately Anthropoid turned out to be a good film despite the issues.
The story focuses on the plot to assassinate SS General Reinhard Heydrich who was the third in command within the Nazi Third Reich behind Hitler and Himmler and was also the architect behind the Final Solution. As the leader of the Nazi regime in Czechoslovakia he holds sway over a reign of terror for the local population. A team of exiled Czech fighters is parachuted in to the country to carry out the mission. Jan (Jamie Dornan) and Josef (Cillian Murphy) are in charge and under their control the assassination is planned out in minute detail.
What marks this film out as being something a bit different is the way it handles the tale. The assassination attempt is only half the story. What comes after is also addressed in detail. The aftermath of something like this is not normally addresses as it can have a negative impact on what is being marketed as a success story. Whether a narrative about killing, for the right reasons or not, is actually a success is up for debate.
Early in the planning a character raises the issue of the aftermath. It is generally acknowledged by all involved that it is a suicide mission. What is not considered is the consequences for the very people they claim to represent. Any attack on the occupying forces will be addressed with swift and brutal reprisals on innocent and guilty alike. A subject like this usually is reserved for the credit sequence of a film. Here it is the basis for the second half with the focus being on the consequences of the resistance fighters actions.
Once you get over two Irish actors speaking English with vague eastern European accents then the film becomes really enjoyable. The main characters are well developed and feel like the real people that they are. The men are not heroes by any stretch of the imagination. They are dedicated though. Their focus is on the mission but with the cover they have constructed for themselves they become involved with two local girls who are involved with the plot. This humanises the characters and allows for a change of pace. The build up to the assassination attempt is procedurally intense and the diversion of the personal aspects of the story are a welcome relief.
The film builds up to two set pieces that are very well executed. The production design for the whole film was impressive, giving a real sense of the period, and this laid the groundwork for these action sequences. The audience gets the impression that there is a lot at stake. I was not aware of the events before I saw the film so the outcome of the attempt and the aftermath were complete unknowns. Usually with a film of this type there are indicators as to how the story will go and who, if anyone, will survive. There was none of that here. At any point the entire cast, including the leads, were in danger. It raised the tension and made the film far more interesting for it.
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