It depicts Operation Anthropoid, the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich by exiled Czechoslovak soldiers Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš in World War II.

Gabčík and Kubiš reveal that they are under orders to carry out "Operation Anthropoid," the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, the main architect of the Final Solution, and the Reichsprotektor of German–occupied Czechoslovakia.

With the help of two young women, Marie Kovárníková and Lenka Fafková, along with other plotters, the agents plan to ambush Heydrich along the route to his headquarters at Prague Castle.

In response to the attack, SS security forces round up thousands of Czech citizens and carry out reprisals, during which Lenka is killed trying to escape Nazi arrest.

Fearing that his own family may fall victim to the reprisals, Resistance fighter Karel Čurda contacts Karl Hermann Frank, Heydrich's replacement as Reichsprotektor and betrays the others for amnesty and the reward being offered.

Afterwards, the SS try to and after ultimately break into the crypt, Josef Valčík, Jaroslav Švarc, Jan Hrubý and Jozef commit suicide to avoid capture.

Director Sean Ellis stated in interview that scenes in the Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius were filmed on an exact replica of the church on a studio backlot, so as to make the location recognisable to Czech viewers.

The website's critics consensus reads, "Anthropoid completes its mission rather unevenly but delivers a historically illuminating story with great performances to back it up.

"[17] Variety's chief film critic Peter Debruge felt that "Jamie Dornan and Cillian Murphy spearhead a mission to assassinate a top-ranking Nazi officer in a thriller that doesn't actually get thrilling until after the deed is done.