Director Edward Zwick has a knack for telling lesser-known war stories on the big screen, as seen in past films like Glory and The Last Samurai, and he’s doing it again with Defiance (Paramount Vantage).
Defiance tells the remarkable story of the Bielski brothers who saved more than 1,200 Jewish refugees by moving them into the forests of Belarus during World War II for three years.
The story is so incredible that no movie under three hours could possibly do it justice. Zwick does his best, however with a two hour and 28 minute running time.
Defiance chronicles the first, and presumably most difficult, year in the Bielski brothers story. Tuvia Bielski (Daniel Craig, Quantum of Solace) and his brother Zus Bielski (Liev Schreiber, Love in the Time of Cholera) are two refugees in the forests of Belarus along with their younger brother Asael (Jamie Bell, Jumper). What starts out as a small band quickly grows into a group of hundreds of Jewish refugees, who Tuvia welcomes with open arms. He and his brothers constantly struggle to provide for them all. Tuvia accepts as many Jews as he can and tries to build a village in the wilderness and wait out the war, only fighting when necessary. He wants to counter the Nazis barbaric actions by keeping the rag tag group distinctly human.
Tuvia’s brother Zus has different views. He feels that he and the other Jewish men should take up arms and join the Russians against the Nazis, constantly clashing with his older brother until he and a few other men defect to the military. The movie follows Zus and Tuvia simultaneously as both encounter many hardships as they try to find their way in the midst of a game changing war.
Defiance is a well-made film, and manages to keep up a level of energy despite the fact that about 90 percent of the action takes place in forests. There is as much film devoted to the Jews daily lives as there is to action sequences, but Zwick does a good job of fusing the two.
One problem, however, is that the film relies on several characters to move along the plot that are simply not as interesting as the three brothers. This may be due to lazy filmmaking or simply that there is not much known about the people that were with the Bielski brothers.
As usual Zwick’s action scenes deliver, and the camerawork and cinematography are both impressive. The film is realistic and believable, and the locations do a good job of creating an atmosphere similar to what it must have been like in World War II Europe.
Daniel Craig, whose star has been rising ever since Casino Royale, delivers his bravest and most compelling performance to date.
He steals all the scenes he is in and has an incredible screen presence. Liev Schreiber also shines as Tuvia’s brother and near opposite, Zus. He has done good work before, but this could be a role that finally helps Schreiber become a star.
The rest of the cast hold their own as well, especially the women of the group who manage to shine in the midst of the male dominated environment.
Defiance is a solid film that packs a punch.
