Waste of Money.

Very well executed

One of my all time favorites.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

What was wrong with this movie? Horrible directing and screen writing. The actors, to their credit, almost surpassed the cheesy soundtrack, inept direction, and poorly developed characters. Heydrich was indeed a monster and he was arguably second in command of the Nazi regime to Hitler. It would have been more interesting to have an actor around his own age (32) to have portrayed him rather than one 25 years older than the actual Heydrich. I cannot underestimate how shoddy the production was, devoid of nuances, amateurish pacing, lighting; everything. They probably had a sub par caterer as well. The question remains as to whether the assassination of Heydrich was worth it. It was common knowledge that the assassination of a German officer in occupied territory usually meant that 50 innocent civilians were rounded up and shot. It shouldn't have been much of a surprise that two villages and their inhabitants were erased as a result of killing the second highest ranking Nazi. Yet had he not been killed, Hitler would have left him in charge of all of occupied Europe. Heydrich was the chief author of the Final Solution and there is little doubt that at least a million more Jews would have been killed under his supervision. The ambitious, scheming Heydrich was a more cunning and efficient killer than Hitler. He may even have found a way to do away with him and extend the war.

Yes the music does date the film (were ARP synthesisers ever a good thing) but does that matter? No!! Some poetic licence is taken with the facts (how Jan Kubis really died or the romance with Anna) but the portrayal of the occupiers, particularly Reichsprotektor Heydrich in no way understated how heinous these people were.The depiction of siege at St Cyril's conveys a whole range of emotions as tension builds. The motivation of the resistance was unquestionably heroic at this part of the episode.This is so much more than an action story. However the issues tend to be portrayed in a very polar black / white manner. Even Karel Chudra's motivation is shown in very clear terms (he is treated far less sympathetically in Czech history). It is unfortunate that the film did not have time to develop the political tension between London and the local resistance. How aware was London of the probability of reprisals following the assassination? Was it their intention that reprisals would do more to stir local opposition to the occupation than the assassination itself? Why did Karel Moravec later take his own life?Overall, however, this is a film to see and for the most part it is very realistic. Visit Prague and leave the tourist traps to see St Cyril's - it looks just like the movie and is almost guaranteed to make you cry for all the victims of the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia.

A fantastic film. I first saw it about 15 years ago and remembered being extremely moved by it, then I recently bought it off the web and watched it again. It was every bit as stirring.The strengths of this movie lie in the beautiful simplicity of the performances. The characters exude courage and patriotism, set against the backdrop of the savage and brutal Nazi regime in Czechoslovakia during WWII. The score is also beautiful and touching in equal measure.What really hits home however, is when you realise that this is a true story. Everything dramatised in the film actually happened. The director (Lewis Gilbert) is intelligent enough to realise that only the lightest of touches are required, there are no grandiose set pieces - he lets the narrative and the characters' emotions speak for themselves. The ending is utterly heart-rending, but the film as a whole stands as the most inspiring tale of valour against hopeless odds. Watch it when you get the chance, you will never forget it.

I have studied the Heydrich assassination at some length as an historian, and the film does take some liberties with the facts. However this is to be expected as this is drama – not a documentary. The battle at the end does contain some errors such as the end of the agents in the main church, one was fatally wounded and the other two took poison, instead of being killed in the gun battle, but this in no way detracts from the overall accuracy of the film.The battle in the crypt likewise ended with the four agents committing suicide by gunshot, rather than a mixture of enemy action and suicide.I have been in the crypt many times and have never failed to be impressed by the astounding courage of these men.'In their darkest hour they lit a beacon that illuminated the world'