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Showing posts with the label Cillian Murphy

Oppenheimer | Average Guy Movie Review

Christopher Nolan's epic biopic proves to be a beautifully chaotic examination of a brilliant but complicated man. Warts and all, so to speak. Based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer , the story telling jumps back and forth through several periods in history in ways that feel random to show us how Oppenheimer became the "father of the Atomic Bomb", as well as the effect his work at Los Alamos had on him and his eventual fall from grace. And yet somehow it all pieces together perfectly. The movie should feel jumbled, but it unravels the man's story smoothly. It simply flows in a way that makes it as gripping as it is fascinating. But it would be nothing - well, nearly nothing - without the incredible cast that brings this story to life. So much so that t he passions of all those involved at Los Alamos - however misguided - are almost palpable. It  is a mammoth cast, filled with famous names and great talent, it's any

Dunkirk | Average Guy Movie Review

The story of Operation Dynamo - the evacuation of 338,000 British and French troops from France - is brought vividly to life in Christopher Nolan's 'Dunkirk'. Told from the point of view of the men on the beach (1 week), the crew of one of the civilian boats that aided in the evacuation (1 day) and the pilots of the RAF trying to protect them from the Luftwaffe (1 hour), 'Dunkirk' is an intense experience from beginning to end. And the tension only increases as the storylines begin to intersect. What's most impressive about 'Dunkirk' is the intensity. Nolan switches it on as soon as the movie starts and despite a few brief moments of calm, keeps the pressure on the entire time. He wanted the audience to experience the pressure that all those involved in the operation, were under. 'Terrifying' is a word that springs to mind! Simple things like the ticking clock woven into the soundtrack (a recording of one of Nolan's pocket watche

Anthropoid: Average Guy Movie Review

On the 27th May 1942, Jozef Gabcik (Cillian Murphy) and Jan Kubis (Jamie Dornan) put into effect their plan to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich. Heydrich was the architect of the Final Solution, third highest ranking Nazi and head of German forces in occupied Czechoslovakia. Gabcik and Kubis were Czechoslovak agents working for the government in exile. 'Anthropoid', which means "resembling a human being in form" was the operation's codename. It's interesting to note that the agents were trained by British Intelligence. One of the men responsible for training them was Sir Christopher Lee. The movie begins with the two agents parachuting into Czechoslovakia and covers the entire operation, including the bloody aftermath in which 15,000 Czecholslovaks were killed. Anthropoid has been praised for it's historical accuracy.  Shot entirely in Prague, many of the real locations were used.   The assassination scene plays out in real time, accurately depicting