ANTHROPOID  3.0***

      To begin with, the title for this movie is awful as it does nothing to tell you what the movie is about. Its title, “Anthropoid”, makes this film sound like a monster thriller, and so it is in some ways, but not in the expected way. The “monsters” are the “Nazis”. This is a violent, harrowing film about a real incident in WWII, and by the end you'll feel drained. But it's also a very fine film that gives real insight into the horrors of the Nazi occupation of central Europe and the difficulties of resisting it. We are reminded that Czechoslovakia was handed over by the allies to Hitler to appease him, entirely in vain. Under the Nazi jackboot not even a close family could be trusted to keep secrets.  

The story is split into two distinct parts … the buildup and the aftermath. It's late 1941 and two Czech expatriates have been parachuted secretly into their homeland tasked by their government-in-exile to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, Hitler's third-in-command and the monster overseeing the brutal repression of Czechoslovakia. They parachute into a forest outside of Prague and make their way to the city where they are taken in by a resistance friendly family. Over the next few months, the two soldiers spend time planning the assassination, observing and blending in .  

Many of the original, historic and actual locations are used which adds an element of realism to a story that's already plenty real and emotional. The second half of the story is what happens after the assassination. Seven of the original parachutists go into hiding in the basement of a Cathedral. The Nazi manhunt is brutal and extensive, and once the hideout is discovered, a seemingly unending parade of German soldiers and ever-increasing weaponry are unleashed in what turned out to be a 6 hour battle. It's a beautifully filmed, but gut-wrenching scene … think of the last stand at The Alamo.

The pacing of the story telling is a bit off at times, but director Ellis brings historical accuracy to a fascinating story in ways that movies such as Valkyrie and Inglorious Basterds didn't even attempt. As courageous as those in the resistance were, the aftermath and reprisals do beg the question … was it worth the price?( see” NOTE” below) Not an easy question to answer even in hindsight.

Rated “R” for the violence.

Clark

NOTE: The Nazi retaliation was brutal.. More than 13,000 were arrested.  According to one estimate, 5,000 were killed . German Intelligence falsely linked the assassins to the villages of Lidice and Ležáky. . The village of Lidice was destroyed  and 199 men were executed, 195 women were immediately deported to Ravensbrück concentration camp, and 95 children taken prisoner. Of the children, 81 were later killed in gas vans at the Chełmno extermination camp.. All adults were murdered in the village of Ležáky, men and women alike. Both towns were burned, and the ruins of Lidice leveled.^[32][33]