Anthropoid

Reinhard Heydrich was a high-ranking German Nazi official during World War II and one of the SS leaders responsible for constructing the Holocaust (Final Solution). The movie ANTHROPOID shows how two agents (played by Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan) from the Czechoslovak government go to Prague on a mission called Operation Anthropoid to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich. They receive help from more agents that are parachuted to Prague, along with some resistance fighters.

It is good when movies like ANTHROPOID are made, because this is a segment of history not often discussed. It is surprising, especially since Heydrich was the only successful government-organized assassination of a top-ranking Nazi during World War II. As a result, this film is an educational period piece.

Unfortunately, a resistance fighter turned on the agents and they were pursued at their place of refuge, Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius. Hundreds of Nazi soldiers annihilated the cathedral and a vicious battle took place in which all the agents were killed.

Director Sean Ellis, who also co-wrote the screenplay, does a fine job of capturing the time period and the principal photography actually took place in Prague at locations where Operation Anthropoid was executed. The cast is remarkable, as the audience is able to get a full sense of how each person portrayed was affected by the arduous task of evading the Nazis.

The official Web site for ANTHROPOID is http://www.bleeckerstreetmedia.com/anthropoid. The film is currently playing in theatres.