Defiance (2008)

Director:

Edward Zwick

Writers (WGA):

Clayton Frohman (screenplay) and
Edward Zwick (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

16 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller | War

Tagline:

Freedom begins with an act of defiance!

Plot:

Jewish brothers in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe escape into the Belarussian forests, where they join Russian resistance fighters and endeavor to build a village in order to protect themselves and about 1,000 Jewish non-combatants.

Plot Keywords:

Forest | Brothers | Jewish | Partisan | Hiding

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Daniel Craig	...	Tuvia Bielski
Liev Schreiber	...	Zus Bielski
Jamie Bell	...	Asael Bielski
Alexa Davalos	...	Lilka Ticktin
Allan Corduner	...	Shamon Haretz
Mark Feuerstein	...	Isaac Malbin
Tomas Arana	...	Ben Zion Gulkowitz
Jodhi May	...	Tamara Skidelsky
Kate Fahy	...	Riva Reich
Iddo Goldberg	...	Yitzchak Shulman
Iben Hjejle	...	Bella
Martin Hancock	...	Peretz Shorshaty
Ravil Isyanov	...	Viktor Panchenko
Jacek Koman	...	Konstanty 'Koscik' Kozlowski
George MacKay	...	Aron Bielski

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

137 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Russian

Colour:

Black and White (archive footage) | Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44522) | Australia:M | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Czech Republic:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-15 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Sweden:15 | Germany:12 | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:16 | Mexico:B15 | Austria:14 | Denmark:15 | South Africa:16LV | France:U

Filming Locations:

Lithuania

Company:

Paramount Vantage

Trivia:

Extras were brought in and asked to strip naked for the scene where Aron stumbles upon the mass grave at the beginning of the movie.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: The movie talks about Israel several times, but even though the modern nation of Israel wasn't officially founded until 1948, the Jews have always referred to themselves collectively as Israel in reference to the ancient Israelite kingdom and their ancestry.

Quotes:

Shamon Haretz: Yes. You annoy me, therefore I exist.

Movie Connections:

References Idi i smotri (1985)

Soundtrack:

Kupalinka

Inspiring But Not Great

No doubt that "Defiance" is a very inspiring movie. Set during the winter of 1941-42, just after Nazi Germany has attacked the Soviet Union, the movie follows the exploits of the 3 Bielski brothers, who watched their father be murdered by German troops and escape into the forest, only to end up becoming a rallying point and leaders for other displaced Jews. The movie portrays rivalries among the brothers themselves, rivalries within the group of Jews they're leading, difficulties in dealing with the Soviet troops, who should be their allies, as well as the hardships of dealing with hunger, cold and illness. Ultimately it leads to a pretty good climactic fight against Nazi troops. Yet, for all that I can't say it's great.

I've seen better and more inspiring Holocaust-inspired movies: think "Schindler's List," "The Grey Zone," and even the fictional "Jakob the Liar." Although the last half hour or so, leading up to the confrontation with the Germans, was quite good, I thought the movie was inconsistent up to that point. It lacked flow, and failed completely to draw me in tightly to the story. If it's at all accurate (and I'm not at all familiar with the events on which it's supposed to be based) then it certainly is a story that deserves to be told, but in truth I can't give it higher than a 6/10.