Anthropoid

Based on the true story of two Czechoslovakian operatives' mission to assassinate Nazi S.S. General Reinhard Heydrich, this wannabe WWII thriller is somewhat lacking in suspense. In December 1941, after Czechoslovakian loyalists Josef Gabčik (Cillian Murphy) and Jan Kubiš (Jamie Dornan) parachute into their Nazi-occupied homeland, the pair must devise a way to implement “Operation Anthropoid”—which is the code name for the elimination of Heydrich (Detlef Bothe), Hitler's third-in-command, behind Himmler. As the logistical architect of Hitler's plan to eradicate the Jewish population, Heydrich was known as “the butcher of Prague” for his ruthless brutality. Burdened with historical background about the Munich Agreement in which the Allies allowed the Third Reich to annex the German-speaking Sudetenland, the narrative drags as Josef and Jan attempt to reach Prague, where they must make contact with what is left of the Czech Resistance, personified by Ladislav (Marcin Dorocinski) and “Uncle” Hajský (Toby Jones). But when romantic entanglements evolve with their reconnaissance decoy “girlfriends” (Charlotte Le Bon, Anna Geislerova), betrayal seems inevitable, leading to a six-hour shootout. Directed by Sean Ellis, this a flat and often frustrating film, full of disconcerting handheld camerawork. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” featurette (30 min.), a storyboard-to-film comparison (15 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)