The Man with the Iron Heart (2017)

As the German Fascists expand their borders, scorching Europe from end to end, two brave Czechs of the Resistance prepare for a suicide mission to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, the hideous mastermind behind the "Final Solution".

Director:

Cédric Jimenez

Writers:

Laurent Binet (based on the novel by), David Farr (screenplay by)

Stars:

Jason Clarke, Rosamund Pike, Jack O'Connell

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Clarke	...	Reinhard Heydrich
Rosamund Pike	...	Lina Von Osten
Jack O'Connell	...	Jan Kubis
Jack Reynor	...	Jozef Gabcík
Mia Wasikowska	...	Anna Novak
Stephen Graham	...	Heinrich Himmler
Thomas M. Wright	...	Josef Valcík
Barry Atsma	...	Karl Hermann Frank
Geoff Bell	...	Müller
Enzo Cilenti	...	Adolf Opalka
David Horovitch	...	Admiral Hansen
Abigail Lawrie	...	Libena Fafek
David Rintoul	...	General Wagner
Ian Redford	...	Ernst Röhm
Adam Nagaitis	...	Emile Curda

Storyline

1942: The Third Reich is at its peak. The Czech resistance in London decides to plan the most ambitious military operation of WWII: Anthropoid. Two young recruits in their late twenties, Jozef Gabcik and Jan Kubis, are sent to Prague to assassinate the most ruthless Nazi leader - Reich-protector Reinhard Heydrich, Head of the SS, the Gestapo, and the architect of the "Final Solution".

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Plot Keywords:

czech resistance | nazi | operation anthropoid | resistance | prague | 

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Taglines:

Based on the extraordinary true story of the man who ruled the SS... and those who dared bring him down.

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Genres:

Action | Biography | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sequences of disturbing violence, brief strong sexuality, nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA France UK Belgium

Language:

English German Czech Latin French

Release Date:

7 June 2017 (France)

Also Known As:

The Man with the Iron Heart

Filming Locations:

Prague, Czech Republic

Box Office

Budget:

€27,800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

FilmNation Entertainment, Echo Lake Entertainment, Lantern Entertainment (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original working title of this film, "HHhH", is a war-time Gestapo acronym for Himmlers Hirn heißt Heydrich ("Himmler's brain is called Heydrich"),

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Goofs

On the moment of the assassination of Heyndrich while the attacker with the Sten tries to fire and the weapon jams the camera turns to Reinhard as he reaches for his handgun. On the background we see the attacker with the homemade hand grenade already attacking. The scene is shown again in the next shot.

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Quotes

Reinhard Heydrich: You are right. You do your job and I'll do mine.

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Connections

Version of The Assassination (1965)

User Reviews

Feels like a big-budget television movie

"HHhH" ("The Man with the Iron Heart") is a decent historical war drama. It scores high marks for authenticity regarding locations, costumes, mores and props; however, with the exception of a few bare breasts, feels like a television movie. Although several thousand people are brutally murdered, the violence feels antiseptic, with a few spurts of blood and red stains on costumes, but no sense of either physical or emotional trauma. The nearly universal use of jiggly-cam shots serves as a constant distracting reminder that somebody is holding a camera, preventing the audience from ever fully suspending disbelief. Performances are good, but seem repressed, even when Reinhard tears up a room in frustration.

At the end, the viewer is left wondering what it all means. Tremendous risks were taken, resulting in terrible consequences. The filmmakers offer no interpretation or moral and insufficient perspective for the audience to make their own judgment.