FREE: ANTHROPOID WWII Movie Digital HD Code

Review part 2

World War II is in full swing. Hitelr has sent his third in command, and the architect of the "Final Solution," Reinhard Heydrich (Detlef Bothe), to Czechoslovakia to oversee military production at the nation's factories in support of the war effort. Jozef Gabčík (Cillian Murphy) and Jan Kubiš (Jamie Dornan) are Czech soldiers sent on a secret mission to assassinate Heydrich. They're aided by several rebels, including Jan Zelenka-Hajský (Toby Jones), Marie Kovárníková (Charlotte Le Bon), and Lenka Fafková (Anna Geislerová). The mission is time critical and carries great importance for the war effort, but at what cost to the country and themselves, should they be discovered or the mission go awry?

Anthropoid is very deliberately paced, taking its time to evolve, set the story in motion, and explore the ramifications of the assassination attempt. It's a critical thinking film, one that's shaped by ideas and the slow-burn execution thereof rather than run-and-gun action and quippy dialogue. It is, in many ways, the antithesis of the typical War film, making the war the driving force and critical backdrop but refusing to sell itself short by simply throwing bullets along the arc. Some in the audience may understandably find it too much of a sloth -- and the movie does struggle with pacing and accomplishing enough to maintain the peak of audience interest -- but the reward is in the patience, of allowing the film to evolve on its own timeframe rather than simply push ahead in the crudest fashion possible. The film finds success in the exploration of ideas and the world around them, in finely tuning its key driver pieces and more subtle background details alike. What it lacks in rat-a-tat action it more than makes up for with a carefully constructed narrative.

Review part 3 of 3

The story's attention to detail certainly helps set it apart, even beyond its nontraditional wartime structure that leaves the blazing guns at home, save for a few key moments. Writers Sean Ellis and Anthony Frewin, the former of whom also directed, build a fairly compelling image of the greater war and world around the characters, both near and far, and take the time to fully explore the consequences of their actions, moving beyond the "he needs to die" mantra and finding the inherent pros and cons of their would-be assassination. The cast is fluent in the language of wartime planning, manipulation, and action as well. The lead tandem of Jamie Dornan and Cillian Murphy absorb the parts with an inner knowing and outer command that enhances the film's deliberate pacing and accentuates the action when it comes. Supporting cast is quite good, too, and the film's grainy, 16mm-sourced imagery enhances the period feel while its grittiness accentuates the primary narrative pieces that build throughout the film.