Washington Post by Christopher Kompanek

Aided by co-screenwriter Anthony Frewin, Ellis takes his time in this slow-burning thriller, which often feels more like a character study.

The New York Times by Andy Webster

It takes Sean Ellis’s World War II thriller Anthropoid a while to build steam, but once it does, hang on.

Movie Nation by Roger Moore

One of the best pictures of the year and the best movie of the summer.

Slant Magazine by Oleg Ivanov

Director Sean Ellis's film offers a potent examination of the moral rectitude of resistance.

Time Out London by David Clack

Thankfully, the film’s final third over-delivers massively.

Empire by Will Lawrence

A compelling and moving interpretation of a largely forgotten moment in European history.

The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw

Cillian Murphy is excellent as the fiercely committed Josef Gabčík; Jamie Dornan does very well in the slightly more reticent role of his co-conspirator Jan Kubiš. An intelligent, tough, and gripping movie.

The Playlist

If Ellis and co-screenwriter Anthony Frewin’s attention to historical detail hinders Anthropoid initially, it breathes life into what turns into an action packed and inherently cinematic second half.

The Playlist by Gregory Ellwood

If Ellis and co-screenwriter Anthony Frewin’s attention to historical detail hinders Anthropoid initially, it breathes life into what turns into an action packed and inherently cinematic second half.

The Seattle Times by Soren Andersen

Filmed in sepia tones to give it period flavor, infused with a sense of unrelieved tension and paranoia, and climaxing with a furious gunbattle, Anthropoid is a gripping picture.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Marsha Lederman

Some of these scenes are masterful – and sometimes difficult to watch. But the real horror – mass revenge killings by the Nazis, including the obliteration of the entire village of Lidice – takes place off-screen.

Screen Daily by Allan Hunter

It is a testimony to the film’s careful construction and honest intentions that you have become so engaged in the fate of the characters.

Screen International by Allan Hunter

It is a testimony to the film’s careful construction and honest intentions that you have become so engaged in the fate of the characters.

Austin Chronicle

As a document of an extraordinary event, Anthropoid does the disservice of rendering this bit of World War II history dull and colorless. I’m sure there’s a History Channel show that tells the tale better.

Village Voice by Alan Scherstuhl

It's all sickeningly accomplished, with incidents so tense and audacious that you might not have the headspace to wonder until afterwards, "Hey, wait, what was the point in grinding us through so many terrifying minutes of that?"

Variety by Peter Debruge

The trouble is that for all the narrative intrigue and excitement such an endeavor might suggest, director Sean Ellis’ less-than-dramatic recreation of this daring act of defiance proves surprisingly stiff...barely redeemed by an even more surprisingly intense finale.

IndieWire by David Ehrlich

Despite the film’s gripping final chapter, its heroic Czechoslovakian characters are completely disconnected from the rest of the country, much like their struggle has been omitted from the cinematic legacy of the war they helped to win.

The Hollywood Reporter by Boyd van Hoeij

It’s rather odd that Ellis, who co-wrote the screenplay with former Kubrick assistant Anthony Frewin, can’t come up with anything more action-packed or tension-filled in the first hour than a broken teacup. Valkyrie this is not.

TheWrap by Alonso Duralde

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.