ANTHROPOID
A riveting, heroic war drama reserved for discerning adults.
Should You Watch It?
ANTHROPOID is a four-star war drama with a powerful moral center. It honors men and women who sacrificed their lives to oppose despicable evil, and it presents their courage as riveting, inspiring, and deeply heartfelt. Strong, positive Christian references give the story added moral weight.
The cost is severe. The second half contains intense and very strong violence, including graphic blood, gun battles, explosions, torture, and suicides. There is also a brief shot of an unmarried couple in bed, though the couple later announces an intention to marry. The first half can be slow, but the film ultimately builds toward a gut-wrenching finish.
If you are an adult who can thoughtfully endure very strong violence for a serious story of courage and sacrifice, this is WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESIn December 1941, Josef and Jan parachute into occupied Czechoslovakia. Sent by the Czech government in exile, they must assassinate SS officer Reinhard Heydrich, a brutal National Socialist leader and chief architect behind Hitler’s “Final Solution.”
Resistance leaders in Prague fear the reprisals that will follow any attack. But the case for action wins out, and the mission begins. The question is whether this dangerous plan has any chance of success.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means ANTHROPOID is an excellent film despite one meaningful weakness. Its war drama is riveting and heroic, with a strong emotional payoff. The climactic battle is especially heartfelt, and the Czech patriots’ final stand carries remarkable force.
The first half is sometimes a little slow. Otherwise, the film’s intense action, moral seriousness, and gut-wrenching finish make it a compelling World War II drama.
The Worldview
ANTHROPOID presents a strong Christian and moral worldview in a story about opposing National Socialist tyranny and the mass murder of Jews. It portrays mostly Christian men and women taking a stand against despicable evil, with positive references to Christianity and Christian faith. A priest hides Resistance fighters in his Orthodox church, and the final battle takes place inside that church.
The film exalts courage, sacrifice, loyalty, and resistance to tyranny. It also treats the mission’s violence as morally grave rather than casual entertainment. The story’s Christian setting and references support its moral clarity, though the brief unmarried-couple-in-bed scene and the presence of treason and betrayal complicate an otherwise strongly positive framework.
At its center is the willingness to sacrifice oneself for others in the face of evil: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Strong Christian, moral worldview in a story from World War II about killing a notorious National Socialist, who helped create the Holocaust’s mass murder of Jews and who murdered many other civilians, mitigated by a light visual reference to an unmarried couple in bed together, with positive references to Christianity and Christian faith, priest hides Resistance fighters in his Orthodox church, and final battle takes place inside the church; one possible obscenity and two light profanities; very strong and strong violence with some blood spurting includes people shot in head or body, people and soldiers die in explosions, intense gun battles, German soldiers repeatedly storm church where Resistance fighters are holed up, images of tortured teenage boy’s bloody face and shirt, man has been beaten, woman punched hard in stomach, dead woman’s face shown, people commit suicide with poison and/or gun shot to avoid being captured and tortured, Germans send hoses of water into church basement where Resistance fighters are hiding, man has bloody wound on foot; quick shot of unmarried couple in bed when someone accidentally catches them, and a couple kisses; no nudity; alcohol use; smoking; and, treason and betrayal.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The Resistance leaders fear the reprisals that may follow an attack on Heydrich. When is standing against evil worth personal cost?
Romans 12:21 · Ephesians 6:13The story honors people who sacrifice their lives to oppose tyranny. What does Jesus mean by laying down one’s life for friends?
John 15:13 · Philippians 2:3–4The climactic battle takes place in a Christian church, where a priest hides Resistance fighters. What should a church offer people facing danger and injustice?
Psalm 82:3–4 · Hebrews 13:2–3The film depicts despicable evil and the mass murder of Jews. How should remembering atrocities shape the way we respond to hatred and human dignity?
Genesis 1:27 · Micah 6:8The Final Word
ANTHROPOID is a riveting, heroic, and inspiring war drama with strong Christian references and a powerful moral center. Its very strong violence makes it unsuitable for children and young teens, but discerning adults who can handle that material may find the courage and sacrifice deeply moving. Our answer is WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY.
