Maybe I'm just easily impressed (although my close friends and family would enthusiastically disagree), but I genuinely can't wrap my head around how some people rated this film anything under 3.5 stars. I've seen a fair bit of criticism specifically targeting the pacing and calling the majority of the film "boring" which I overtly disagree with. Yes, a good portion of the first and second act is almost entirely political commentary, I found it to be quite interesting. Now maybe that isn't your cup of tea or you aren't a history geek. Fair. But anything that could potentially be lacking plot-wise is immediately overthrown by the stellar acting from both the leads (Dornan and Murphy) as well as supporting and side characters (Lloyd, Jones, Dorociński, Milner, Keeley, Šimek).
I didn't previously list the main female actresses because I want to pull them aside for their astounding performances that are often overshadowed by the more popular male actors. Charlotte Le Bon as Marie Kovárníková and Alena Mihulová as Mrs. Moravec bring so much nuance to these otherwise rather naïve and seemingly helpless women. Although they might not be as outspoken and decisive as Lenka Fafková, their gentle nature brings compassion to a cast of generally blunt men. The characters of Marie and Mrs. Moravec really highlight the philosophy and utter devastation of war; at what point to the ends justify the means--how many civilians and soldiers alike must perish for the downfall of a regime?
On the other hand, bringing a fire laced with elegance and rage not seen enough within male-written female characters, is Lenka Fafková. Anna Geislerová blesses the audience with an electrifying performance as Lenka, the daughter of a deceased military officer, Marie's closest friend, and Josef Gabčik's love interest, although she is so much more. Lenka is a woman that I could recognize myself within, partially because I'm also the daughter and granddaughter of a military family, but also because despite her femininity used as a coping mechanism (as seen in the bar scene when she first meets the parachutists) she doesn't ever shy away from voicing her political and moral opinions and how although she is a proud Czech, given she is a woman her points still differ vastly from the other allied men. I could seriously go on and on about her character despite the little screen time she had. I wish that they utilized her more beyond a plot point for her male counterpart.
And as I've already meandered long enough, I'll finish off with Jan and Josef--more specifically the bond between the men. First of all, I'm not blind. Jamie Dornan and Cillian Murphy are both very attractive men, and maybe that subconsciously encouraged me to inflate this film's rating a bit. Whatever, the world will keep spinning. But the panic attacks when Josef was preventing Jan from committing suicide towards the end of the first act, to Jan similarly restraining Josef from shooting himself when Lenka is shot attempting to escape, and then to Jan calming down Bublík from hyperventilating during the church shootout towards the end. Absolutely peak brotherhood. None of their interactions felt overly-dramatized or fake. Every second that Dornan and Murphy shared on-screen sincerely felt like unconditional friendship, which is what makes the shootout during the film's climax so hard to watch as they're held back from each other by soldiers, weaponry, their own comrades, and just the sheer architecture of the church; only able to hear each other's screams and the ricochet of bullets.
Overall this is a severely underrated and beautifully orchestrated (pun VERY much intended, the score is absolutely breathtaking) film about one of the most agonizing histories of triumph against evil and the indomitable human spirit for both the allies and nazis. The willpower directed by Sean Ellis really cements that man is life's greatest wonder and still its personal hell.
Maybe I'm just easily impressed (although my close friends and family would enthusiastically disagree), but I genuinely can't wrap my head around how some people rated this film anything under 3.5 stars. I've seen a fair bit of criticism specifically targeting the pacing and calling the majority of the film "boring" which I overtly disagree with. Yes, a good portion of the first and second act is almost entirely political commentary, I found it to be quite interesting. Now maybe that isn't your cup of tea or you aren't a history geek. Fair. But anything that could potentially be lacking plot-wise is immediately overthrown by the stellar acting from both the leads (Dornan and Murphy) as well as supporting and side characters (Lloyd, Jones, Dorociński, Milner, Keeley, Šimek).
I didn't previously list the main female actresses because I want to pull them aside for their astounding performances that are often overshadowed by the more popular male actors. Charlotte Le Bon as Marie Kovárníková and Alena Mihulová as Mrs. Moravec bring so much nuance to these otherwise rather naïve and seemingly helpless women. Although they might not be as outspoken and decisive as Lenka Fafková, their gentle nature brings compassion to a cast of generally blunt men. The characters of Marie and Mrs. Moravec really highlight the philosophy and utter devastation of war; at what point to the ends justify the means--how many civilians and soldiers alike must perish for the downfall of a regime?
On the other hand, bringing a fire laced with elegance and rage not seen enough within male-written female characters, is Lenka Fafková. Anna Geislerová blesses the audience with an electrifying performance as Lenka, the daughter of a deceased military officer, Marie's closest friend, and Josef Gabčik's love interest, although she is so much more. Lenka is a woman that I could recognize myself within, partially because I'm also the daughter and granddaughter of a military family, but also because despite her femininity used as a coping mechanism (as seen in the bar scene when she first meets the parachutists) she doesn't ever shy away from voicing her political and moral opinions and how although she is a proud Czech, given she is a woman her points still differ vastly from the other allied men. I could seriously go on and on about her character despite the little screen time she had. I wish that they utilized her more beyond a plot point for her male counterpart.
And as I've already meandered long enough, I'll finish off with Jan and Josef--more specifically the bond between the men. First of all, I'm not blind. Jamie Dornan and Cillian Murphy are both very attractive men, and maybe that subconsciously encouraged me to inflate this film's rating a bit. Whatever, the world will keep spinning. But the panic attacks when Josef was preventing Jan from committing suicide towards the end of the first act, to Jan similarly restraining Josef from shooting himself when Lenka is shot attempting to escape, and then to Jan calming down Bublík from hyperventilating during the church shootout towards the end. Absolutely peak brotherhood. None of their interactions felt overly-dramatized or fake. Every second that Dornan and Murphy shared on-screen sincerely felt like unconditional friendship, which is what makes the shootout during the film's climax so hard to watch as they're held back from each other by soldiers, weaponry, their own comrades, and just the sheer architecture of the church; only able to hear each other's screams and the ricochet of bullets.
Overall this is a severely underrated and beautifully orchestrated (pun VERY much intended, the score is absolutely breathtaking) film about one of the most agonizing histories of triumph against evil and the indomitable human spirit for both the allies and nazis. The willpower directed by Sean Ellis really cements that man is life's greatest wonder and still its personal hell.
