Anthropoid

Movie review by Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media
Anthropoid Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 17+

Depressing, dull, violent take on a true WWII story.

R 2016 120 minutes
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Parents say

age 18+

Based on 4 reviews

Kids say

age 15+

Based on 3 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Anthropoid is a World War II story about the real-life attempted assassination of Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich. The movie has very strong violence, including shooting, explosions, bloody wounds, blood spatters and puddles, and death. Multiple characters commit suicide, either via gunshots to the head or cyanide capsules. There are brief but gruesome Nazi torture scenes that include breaking a boy's fingers and showing him a woman's severed head in a bucket. One brief suggested sex scene shows a man getting dressed near a woman who's in bed; there's also some kissing. Characters smoke cigarettes frequently (accurate for the time period), but language is minimal, with the German "scheisse" ("s--t") used a few times and "whore" used once. Though the movie is depressing and dull, the core story is important, and it could be worthy of discussion.

Community Reviews

OliviaReviewsIt
OliviaReviewsIt Adult
May 4, 2021
age 17+

Powerful Story of Czech Resistance Against German Rule

This movie tells the story of a group of Czech men and women who resist Nazi occupation of their homeland. It's a story of the utmost bravery to stand up against tyranny no matter the cost. This movie might be criticized as dark and depressing, but that's exactly what war is. I'm giving this movie 3 stars because while the story was engaging and well-written I found it difficult to understand many of the conversations without turning on subtitles (and this is an English-language movie). The first half of this movie is relatively tame, with the resistance planning their moves and setting the stage for the intense warfare that takes place in the second half of the film, where the Czechs and Germans go head-to-head with many deaths on both sides. There's lots of blood in this movie and death by suicide. There's a part in this movie where a woman gets beaten and a particularly gruesome scene where a boy gets tortured by the Nazis (I won't give the exact details as to not spoil the movie). Language is fairly mild and unless you can understand German you probably won't even recognize it. This was an average film. It was worth seeing once but it isn't one that I own or would likely re-watch. 3/5.

This title has:

Great messages
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H B.
H B. Adult
February 24, 2020
age 17+

Fascinating story of the history of the German occupation of Czechoslovakia and how a brave few resisted.

A fascinating story of how a few very dedicated patriots could undertake such a daunting mission facing tremendous challenges and against huge odds with their lives and the lives of thier families and loved ones on the line. This is a story that needed to be told and it is told very well in this movie.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

As ANTHROPOID begins, two parachuters -- Jan Kubis (Jamie Dornan) and Josef Gabcik (Cillian Murphy) -- land in occupied Czechoslovakia during WWII. Their mission -- "Operation Anthropoid" -- is to assassinate third-in-command Nazi Reinhard Heydrich, otherwise known as the "Butcher of Prague" and the architect of Hitler's "Final Solution." With the help of Czech underground rebels, the pair learns about Heydrich's comings and goings, and before long, it's time. But the attempt doesn't go exactly as planned, and the two men find themselves hiding out in a church while the Nazis begin a cruel, systematic manhunt, mowing down anyone who stands in their way. Will the soldiers' work be worth something in the end?

Is It Any Good?

There are many important WWII stories worth telling, but sometimes movies, like this one, take the wrong approach, and we end up with something that's poorly made, tedious, and depressing. Writer/director Sean Ellis and co-writer Anthony Frewin apparently researched Anthropoid heavily, but they still managed to leave out basic details that would let an audience know a little something about the characters -- or even how to tell the seven total parachutists in the story apart from one another.

We're rarely aware of simple details like "who," "what," "where," or "why." The overall gray sheen and the irritating, constantly wobbly shaky-cam cinematography don't help, especially since much of the movie is shot in close or medium shots. Anthropoid is structured in such a way that it's either numbingly repetitive or anti-climactic -- or else it falls back on overly familiar modern transitional techniques to bridge the events. The ending will leave most viewers thoroughly dispirited.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Anthropoid's violence. How does the fact that this is based on a true story affect its impact? Does exposure to violent media desensitize kids to violence?

  • Why is assassination sometimes considered a heroic deed? Do you agree with that assessment? Are these characters heroes? What was gained -- and what was lost -- due to their actions? What would the alternative have been?

  • How does this movie compare to other WWII movies you may have seen? How does it expand your idea or your knowledge of that time in history? How could you find out more if you wanted to?

  • How accurate do you think the movie is to the facts of what happened? Why might filmmakers choose to adjust events in a movie based on a true story?

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