Lazy Film Critic Movie Reviews
Anthropoid
Anthropoid is a World War II spy thriller set during the Nazis control of Czechoslovakia, following a group of rebels set on a mission to assassinate a Nazi general, under the codename Operation Anthropoid. The film is based on the true story of specifically two Czech rebels who have been tasked with the mission. The film stars Jamie Dornan and Cillian Murphy as the two rebels, and is directed by Sean Ellis.
So, as with any good spy drama, one of the big parts is the acting. Cillian Murphy has shown time and time again that he's one of the most ranged actors working today, being able to seemingly slip into a role and have full command of the character without it being noticeable, and so as you can expect his performance in this film is fantastic as usual, he didn't have anything to prove. Jamie Dornan, however, did. And I gotta say, he absolutely holds his own. While he's still playing a majorly supporting role, he more than manages to hold his own amongst a very talented cast and prove himself as more than "that guy that was in Fifty Shades of Grey".
One thing that rarely fails to impress me about films set during World War II is the set design and costumes, another aspect that this movie doesn't go cheap on. Everything from the layout of the city, to the look of the cars, to even minor details like the grit on the suits or rust has been touched up to mimic the 1940s look. This also goes hand in hand with the cinematography, which never fails to capture the bleak tone of the world these characters are in. It's nothing we haven't seen before, but it's always impressive nonetheless.
There's one key factor in this movie that I think has lead to it being so divisive (50% on RT) is the realism. A lot (and I mean the overwhelming majority) of WWII-set fils drive up the suspension of disbelief and artistic license. And most of the time, it's for a good reason, a lot of the true stories set during World War II would be really boring if you didn't have a lot of Hollywood-isms. And while this film has a healthy amount of artistic license, the bulk of the film shares the same kind of tone and pace as a WWII documentary. Now me, personally, this was an element I really appreciated about the film. It was a nice change in pace to see a WWII story that wasn't filled with Hollywood sappiness and the usual urge to please the audience. However, this element could also be really boring and annoying for other people, and it's totally understandable.
Final Rating
Overall, the make or break element of Anthropoid is the realism. If you're a fan of historically accurate films, and want a WWII story that doesn't go for lighter elements with its artistic license, check it out. If you're easily bored, yeah this isn't the movie for you. Personally, for me, I enjoyed it a lot. I found it a really refreshing film and again period peices set during the 40s are usually pretty impressive, so it was well worth it for me.
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