POLITICAL THRILLER. “Anniversary.” / “Inheritance.” / “The Hunt.” / “Anthropoid.”

“Anniversary” (2025, Hulu) dystopian political thriller. Tensions rise and loyalties are tested when a couple meet their son's new girlfriend, a radical young woman who's part of a controversial movement known as the Change. Stars Diane Lane and Kyle Chandler. 


       Critics are all-praises for this talky, lecture-heavy, politically-argumentative yarn. I second-the-motion the ensemble performance although I don’t concur with the crowded room; so many characters. And the jousts? I find them corny, contrived, self-appeasements. 🎥💻📽


“Inheritance” (2025, Hulu) espionage thriller. A young woman discovers her estranged father was formerly a spy, which throws her into the middle of a global international conspiracy and makes her a target. 



       The plot is a political cliche but the globetrotting thrill somehow managed to provoke some excitement. And leads Phoebe Dynevor as Maya, and Rhys Ifans as the dad, ignite some dramatic synergy that saved the film. 🎥💻📽


“The Hunt” (2020, Amazon Prime) satirical action-thriller. A group of wealthy, liberal elites kidnap working-class "deplorables" from the internet to hunt them for sport, only for the tables to turn when one of the hunted fights back. 



       Weird as it is, I was entertained by the darkly humorous action, anchored on Betty Gilpin's kickin’ ass deadpan Crystal. I can tolerate the violence. But I don’t really dig the purportedly “timely” social satire. The liberal/conservative political slant is contrived or convoluted, or just exaggeratedly insulting. But of course the Left would love the mockery.

       Me, I love Betty Gilpin, that's all. 🎥💻📽


“Anthropoid” (2016, Netflix) war film. It depicts Operation Anthropoid, the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich by exiled Czechoslovak soldiers. Known as the “Butcher of Prague,” Heydrich was one of the principal architects of the Holocaust (1941-1945). 



       A meticulous aesthetic and cerebral take of a tragic page in history, plus a deftly-executed assassination sequence that climaxed in an action-filled finale. Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan as Czechoslovak soldiers Jozef Gabcik and Jan Kubis rendered intense dramatic color to the entire feature.

       I wonder why this Sean Ellis-directed gem was bypassed by major award-giving organizations. BTW, Mr Ellis also directed the Tagalog-language “Metro Manila” (2013). 🎥💻📽

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