Anthropoid

Two Czech agents slip back into occupied Prague to carry out a high risk strike against Reinhard Heydrich, one of the Nazi regime's most feared officials. They work with a small circle of resistance fighters, relying on careful planning and coded communications to stay ahead of informers. The mission becomes a test of nerve as checkpoints, curfews, and suspicion tighten around them. The film dwells on the human cost of rebellion, showing the strain on relationships, the fear of exposure, and the quiet courage it takes to face a mission with potentially devastating consequences. The focus remains on preparation and resolve rather than spectacle, and the personal costs.

Directed by Sean Ellis, Anthropoid recreates a 1942 attempt to kill Heydrich. The film draws on historical accounts and relies on an ensemble led by Jamie Dornan and Cillian Murphy, with Charlotte Le Bon and Anna Geislerová in supporting roles. It uses a grainy visual style to ground the drama.

Box office: Anthropoid earned around 4.6 million dollars worldwide, a modest but respectable figure for a tense historical thriller with limited release, reaching audiences in several markets during its theatrical run in Europe and North America.

Reception and themes: Critics welcomed the tight, procedural approach and performances from Dornan and Murphy. The film foregrounds loyalty, sacrifice, and the moral weight of resistance under occupation, offering a grounded view of a brave but costly mission that lingers after the credits. The pacing balances documentary style with tension.

Cultural impact: Anthropoid contributes to a broader awareness of the Czech resistance and the Heydrich operation, even if it stays off the radar for casual viewers. It prompts reflection on fidelity, the ethics of assassination during war, and the heavy price paid by ordinary people in contemporary discourse today worldwide.