If there is one thing I like in movies, it is good acting. A movie can at times by mediocre, but still be raised to extraordinary heights by a great performance from an an actor or actress. And when the movie itself is great as well, you might get something really special. The warmovie Anthropoid came and went pretty quietly last year. I had seen the trailer for it, and it immediately caught my attention. Unfortunately I had missed this one in the theatres, but to my big surprise this week it appeared on Netflix. And I am glad it did, because this small movie is pretty amazing.
Anthropoid is based on a true story. It takes place in the year 1941 where the country of Czechoslovakia is occupied by Nazi Germany. The entire country is held in a reign of terror mostly caused by Hitler’s third in command the murderous Reinhard Heydrich. It is during these troubled times that two agents, Jozef and Jan, are parachuted into their homeland. Quickly they go in search for the local resistance to help them with their mission: the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. However with Germans around every corner, and people within their own ranks they might not be able to trust, their mission might be over without ever having a chance to succeed….
If I could only name one reason for you to get you to see this film, it would be actor Cillian Murphy. He plays the role of Jozef, and for me it has been one of the best roles of his eentire career. The true desperation, but also the belief he has in his mission, are portrayed perfectly by him. At times it almost felt as if he wasn’t even acting any more. His co-star Jamie Dornan, who plays Jan should also not be dismissed though. Jan is somewhat weaker and more nervous than Jozef, and Jamie carried out this role perfectly. The film mainly focusses on these two men, and as such the rest of the supporting characters don’t have as much layers to them as Jozef and Jan.
The film starts as a bit of a slowburner, but even so, you can feel an underlying tension that keeps building up. The second half of the movie has some incredibly trilling scenes, that are at times truly nailbiting. Another thing that is worth mentioning is the cinematography. The film really looks amazing, and together with the amazing sets and costumes really convince you that you are right there in 1941. This is definitely not an easy movie to watch, especially near the end, where a couple of very gruesome scenes are shown. Honestly these scenes almost seem like they are from a different film, as they did not really fit the tone of the rest of the movie. That said though, this is a very good film, with incredible performances and a really compelling and thrilling story. If you like warmovies that are a little bit different, than I highly recommend this one.
I give Anthropoid a 9 out of 10 score.
So, I saw the title Anthropoid and thought this would be some kind of creature movie. Didn’t think that one through as you can see.
Classy war movie seems like a way better option though. You’re absolutely right about good acting doing wonders for even an otherwise unremarkable production.
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Haha, I don’t blame you. I would have thought the same with a title like that 😂 As for the title it was the actual nane for the operation to carry out the assassination (little bit of history lesson for you there). But yes a great film, with superb acting indeed 😊
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Historical war dramas are always an interesting watch. The cast sounds wonderful too. I’ve been a big fan of Cillian Murphy since The Wind That Shakes The Barley. Jamie Dornan was also great in The Siege of Jadotville. Unfortunately, Anthropoid is not available in my region. Let’s see if I can get it on DVD! Fantastic review, as always! 🙂
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Thank you. Really that is a shame 😢 Well it’s only been available for a week, so who know maybe your region will get it this week. It truly is an amazing movie, so I hope you will enjoy it. Cillian Murphy is absolutely terrific. He can take on pretty much any role, which makes him so a fantastic actor 😊
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A great review Michel on an interesting movie. It’s one I had glanced at last year’s trailer. Sometimes war movies are done exceptionally well and I surprise myself in how much I admire them. Cillian Murphy is an underrated guy, I too didn’t think too much of him at first but he really has a unique charisma, most notably his role in Peaky Blinders is something to look foward to.
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Thank you. I have heard truly great things about Peeky Blinders, but unfortunately I have not yet had time to watch it. (Pretty much with everything lately, purely a question of time management lol). But yeah totally agree, he is a fantastic actor 😊
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I’m not sold on war movie too so I’m not surprised that it came and quietly went away hehe.. I’m glad you gave it a chance via Netflix and ended up liking it. Thanks for pointing out that it’s based on a true story. I guess sometimes it’s good to be reminded what happened in 1941 🙂 Excellent review as always!
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Cillian Murphy always delivered outstanding performances, even in the smallest of movies and roles. He really shines through the rest, so I can definitely see him being the star of the movie.
This definitely sounds like an intriguing piece but I could do well without the gore! Seeing as this is a WWII movie, though, I wouldn’t have expected any less I guess.
Amazing review, Michel, as expected 🙂
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Thank you again 😊 Well, the gore in this one is pretty minimal. This isn’t a movie like Saving Private Ryan or Hacksaw Ridge for instance. There is a pretty horrifying torture scene near the end, but otherwise this movie is more focussed on the story and the drama itself 😊
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Ah that’s good to know! I really wouldn’t want to watch it otherwise hahaha Thanks for the heads up 🙂 That sounds more like something I would enjoy!
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I agree so much with your opening sentence. Good acting can really lift a movie, regardless of the quality. Nice review my friend.
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Thank you very much 😊 Yeah that really is so true. I don’t think I can even count the amount of movies that I have seen that were actually pretty mediocre, but were turned into something awesome because of the actors. And that’s why I love movies 😊😊
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Acting can really transcend the material they have to work with. If someone is so gifted, they can make absolute tosh have meaning.
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