Screening “Anthropoid” as the Opening Night film at the 51st annual Karlovy Vary International Film Festival was a shrewd move on the part of the filmmakers – where but the Czech Republic would audiences be so receptive of a film about the Czech resistance fighters who assassinated Reinhard Heydrich, the third most powerful man in the Nazi Party and the infamous “Butcher of Prague”?
As we have learned from far too many documentaries and fact-based narratives, however, a fascinating and heroic true story can only take the storyteller so far. There’s an extraordinary tale to be told here, one which “Anthropoid” occasionally succeeds in telling, but director Sean Ellis (who co-wrote with Anthony Frewin) only sporadically does it justice.
Jan Kubis (Jamie Dornan) and Josef Gabcik (Cillian Murphy) are two of seven resistance fighters who parachute into Czechoslovakia on orders from the exiled Czech government in London. The men arrive in Prague to find that their contact has been killed, and that what remains of the local resistance can fit comfortably in one room. Those remaining fighters are somewhat aghast at Jan and Josef’s marching orders: Operation Anthropoid, the assassination of Heydrich.
“Why don’t you just go ahead and kill Hitler?” asks one of them. “He’s just a few hundred kilometers down the road in a little village called Berlin!”
Determined to follow orders, this strained group of militants — including Ladislav (the strikingly dark-eyed Marcin Dorocinski, “The Pact”) and Uncle (Toby Jones, switching sides after playing a Nazi in the first two “Captain America” movies) — formulates a plan and assembles their weaponry. Along the way, the men fall in love, Jan with Marie (Charlotte Le Bon, “The Walk”), the daughter of the family that is housing the men, and Josef with Lenka (Anna Geislerová), who gets one of the film’s best scenes, scolding Josef and Jan for not treating her and Marie like equal partners in the Resistance, as she disassembles Josef’s revolver and points out that it needs cleaning.
This is sexy stuff — and probably the most romantic moment that transpires between either couple — but the presence of actual Czech actress Geislerová somewhat highlights the fact that she’s surrounded by a lot of UK and French-Canadian performers doing Mittel-European accents. (And those accents are of variable quality.) It’s like the film version of “Gorky Park,” where the presence of one Russian in the cast gave away the game that everyone else in the film was British or American.
Ellis and Frewin attempt some narrative risk by having the characters’ major goal — the assassination of Heydrich — happen midway through the film, focusing afterward on the brutal Nazi reprisals against the citizens of Prague and the attempts of the Resistance to remain hidden and possibly escape. It’s at this point that “Anthropoid” loses its footing, never quite regaining it until the film’s apparent reason for existence, an extended sequence in which the seven parachutists hide out in a church, keeping wave after wave of Nazi soldiers at bay. But by the time it arrives in the film, the story has lost its momentum, and it’s almost too little, too late.
Still, in and of itself, the sequence itself is devastatingly powerful, since these men are literally fighting to the finish, each one of them prepared to commit suicide rather than face capture, torture and the surrender of valuable intelligence. Ellis and editor Richard Mettler craft an agonizing and unforgettable finale; if their sense of pacing had been as sharp throughout, “Anthropoid” might have fulfilled its potential.
17 Movie Castings Hated, then Loved by Fans: From Heath Ledger to J.Lo (Photos)
Alden Ehrenreich was cast as the young Han Solo for an upcoming standalone film, and some "Star Wars" fans aren't happy about Disney's decision. But, as the following actors can attest, he wasn't the first combative casting decision -- and he certainly won't be the last.
When it was announced that Affleck would star opposite the Man of Steel in Zack Snyder's "Batman v Superman," the decision was met with tens of thousands of protests, with reasons ranging from his dissimilarity to Batman to his artlessness as an actor. Following the movie's release, however, fans are backpedaling on their initial assessment. But any Batman actor is likely to face fierce scrutiny, as you'll see later in the list...
The British actor joined a long and venerable list of performers who've portrayed 007, so when he was cast in "Casino Royale," many reflexively dismissed him as James Bond because he lacked sex appeal. And -- the humanity -- his hair was BLOND! Now, of course, he's considered a favorite among the pantheon of Bonds despite his disparaging comments about the role.
Fans everywhere were LIVID that the star of "10 Things I Hate About You" was cast as the Clown Prince of Crime, not least of which because Jack Nicholson elevated the role to sublime status in Tim Burton's "Batman." But after "The Dark Knight" was released, fans praised Ledger's performance, for which the late actor won an Oscar.
Before Damon was cast in 2002's "The Bourne Identity," he had only starred in prestige dramas and Gus Van Sant movies. The idea of casting him in an action movie then seemed outlandish to many, but now the name Bourne is synonymous with Damon.
In Suzanne Collins' "Hunger Games" books, Katniss is described as a brown-haired, olive-skinned girl. But Lawrence was a 20-year-old blonde with blue eyes, rousing ire among fans who had long debated the ideal candidate. It's safe to say, four movies and $1.5 billion later, that debate has been settled.
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Tom Cruise in "Interview with the Vampire" Fans of Anne Rice's novel saw blood red over the decision to cast Cruise as Lestat, with the author herself even objecting to it. But she, unlike all the other haters, recanted her criticism after seeing "Vampire," praising the actor as one of the best things about the film.
When Keaton was cast as Batman in Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman," the decision was met with heaps of resistance; he was allegedly too small, not fit enough and/or didn't resemble Bruce Wayne. But once the movie hit theaters, fanboys ate their words.
It's unlikely either actor was the first choice for fans of E.L. James' S&M novels, many pointing out the lack of sparks between the two where there were supposed to be kilowatts of sexual chemistry. Dornan's chiseled body and Johnson's convincing turn as the innocent Anastasia Steele, however, threw cold water on those concerns.
Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen Fans of the "Twilight" series of books didn't think Pattinson had what it took to inhabit the mysterious, fantastical Edward Cullen. One film later, those same fans were evenly divided between #TeamEdward or #TeamJacob, pitting two physically and mentally different men vying for Bella Swan's heart.
Many thought Maguire lacked the resemblance and/or wits to play Peter Park in 2002's "Spider-Man," but he evidently swayed enough fans to warrant two more turns at the role.
Fans were dubious that Hathaway could go from a young royal in "The Princess Diaries" to a sexy swindler in a skin-tight leather suit. Lo and behold, TheWrap's lead film critic Alonso Duralde said (without irony) that Hathaway "steals the show," The Daily Beast characterized her performance as "stellar" and Vanity Fair called her "the best Catwoman ever."
A Texas-born actress playing a mousy Brit? That was chief among the complaints over Zellweger's casting in the London-set romcom, thought detractors left room for carping about what a nobody she was, as well. Now "Bridget Jones' Diary" is considered a classic, Zellweger having become synonymous with the role, reprising it for the upcoming "Bridget Jones's Baby."
Man, comic book fans are sticklers about who can and cannot portray their heroes on screen. In Cavill's case, opponents disapproved of a British actor playing an American superhero, especially after Christopher Reeve's stellar likeness of the character. But Cavill won over fans in "Man of Steel" (how could he not, looking like that?), returning in the role for Zack Snyder's "Batman v Superman."
The prospect of the "Girls" star playing the "Star Wars" reboot's primary villain had many fans worried. But once "The Force Awakens" hit theaters in December, many found his bratty Darth Vader fanboy posturing captivating.
Paramount executives fretted over the prospect of Brando as the Corleone family patriarch due to his poor recent box office results and short temper. However, author Mario Puzo and director Francis Ford Coppola fought for Brando in the role, and "The Godfather" is now considered one of the most influential films of all time.
The singer herself has discussed the controversy over her casting as Selena Quintanilla-Pérez in the Warner Bros. film, acknowledging protests among the Tejano community that Lopez is a Puerto Rican from New York while Selena was a Mexican from Texas. Others groused about her poor spoken Spanish. However, Lopez was roundly praised for her performance, which most observers believe was the film's strength.
When Cruise's casting as Jack Reacher was announced, many objected that the 5'7" actor didn't do the 6'5" antihero justice. The physical differences between Cruise and the subject of Lee Child's book series were dramatic. But the film was still a success, making $218 million on a production budget of $60 million.
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”Star Wars“ fans might hate Alden Ehrenreich now, but these castings should inspire hope for the young Han Solo
Alden Ehrenreich was cast as the young Han Solo for an upcoming standalone film, and some "Star Wars" fans aren't happy about Disney's decision. But, as the following actors can attest, he wasn't the first combative casting decision -- and he certainly won't be the last.