Hangmen Also Die! is a 1943 noir thriller movie directed by Fritz Lang, based on a story by Bertolt Brecht and written by Lang and John Wexley. The film is set during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia and focuses on the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, known as the "Hangman of Europe". Heydrich was the Reichsprotektor of the country and was responsible for the brutal persecution and murder of Czechs, including the Lidice massacre.
Dr. Franticek Svoboda, played by Brian Donlevy, is a Czech surgeon who becomes involved in the resistance movement and decides to assassinate Heydrich, played by Hans Heinrich von Twardowski. Svoboda's plan goes awry when Heydrich's car speeds past his ambush, and he is wounded in the ensuing gun battle. He seeks refuge in the apartment of Stephen Novotny, a history professor played by Walter Brennan, and his daughter Mascha, played by Anna Lee.
As Svoboda recovers from his injuries, the Gestapo's investigation closes in on him and his hosts. The resistance movement prepares for a major strike in retaliation for the Hangman's murder, while Svoboda and Novotny try to figure out how to get him out of the country and to safety. Meanwhile, Heydrich's killer remains unknown, and the Gestapo begins a brutal campaign of reprisals against innocent civilians.
Hangmen Also Die! is a tense and suspenseful movie that deals with the themes of resistance, sacrifice, and revenge. It was made during World War II to show solidarity with the Czechoslovakian resistance and to raise awareness of Nazi atrocities. The film was banned in Nazi Germany and occupied Europe, but it was widely praised by critics and audiences in the United States.