Defiance Details

2008

Rated:
70
from 21,878 members

Three Jewish brothers (Craig, Schreiber and Bell) escape from Nazi-occupied Poland into the Belarussian forest, where they join Russian resistance fighters and endeavor to build a village in order to protect themselves and others in danger. Read more

Starring	Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, George MacKay
Director	Edward Zwick
Genres	Audio Descriptive, Drama

Sign up Defiance DVD, Blu-ray

Buy From: £7.93

Book seat In 1 cinema

Defiance

Starring	Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, George MacKay
Director	Edward Zwick
Studio	MOMENTUM PICTURES
Run time	DVD: 2 hrs 17 mins Blu-ray: 2 hrs 17 mins
Certificate
Collections	100 Most Wanted
Genres	Audio Descriptive, Drama
Language	English, English Audio Description
Released	DVD: 18 May 2009 Blu-ray: 18 May 2009 Production year: 2008
Format	DVD

Critics' reviews of Defiance
View all
Drama about three Jewish brothers who escape from Nazi-occupied Poland into the Belarussian forest, where they join Russian resistance fighters and build a village in order to protect themselves. read more »
- Tom Charity,
- LOVEFiLM
Most helpful member's review of Defiance
View all
194 out of 195 people found this review helpful

* * * This review contains spoilers * * *ShowHide

Defiance

Well a cracking start to 2009 with Daniel Craig 's new World War two offering Defiance. I'll get the two negatives out of the way firstly it's directed by Edward Zwick ( I have always had a love hate relationship with the Zwickster) . Secondly there are flourishes of the old Hollywood gloss about it ,though it didn't spoil my enjoyment mainly due to the plethora of other things there are to celebrate about this film. It's a simple tale based on a true story of a band of Jewish brothers called the Bielski's led by Tuvia (Craig) the fiery Zus (Liev Schrieber) Aesel (Jamie Bell ) and the youngest Aron (George MacKay, who following the slaughter of their parents at the hands of the Nazi's flee to the forest initially to become freedom fighters in the hope of seeking retribution for their loss . However their plan goes pear-shaped as other jews begin to follow seeking protection and shelter. The brothers can hardly feed themselves but soon they are responsible for hundreds who would rather die in the woods than in the Ghetto's. Tension rises between Tuvia and Zus as both see the way foward very differently, and this eventually sees Zus heading off to join the Partisans following a huge row, thus leaving Tuvia and Aesel to organise the growing band of forest dwellers. Of couse the whole situation is fraught with danger as this growing community play cat and mouse with the Nazi's who are determined to hunt them down as they battle for survival with meagre rations and falling temperatures. We see love blossom for the brothers along the way, and we also see death, sickness, violence, and hatred unfold as each new drama takes it's toll on the renegade community. The cinematography and settings are breathtaking on ocassion, and the haunting soundtrack only enhances it all, the performances are all excellent with Craig ditching Bond temporarily and becoming totally believable in the role, Schrieber is equally powerful as the surly but noble Zus , and Bell has at last come into his own as the brave young Aesel. There's an integrity about the whole thing that draws you in from the start and I loved the way Craig and Schrieber in particular used huge chunks of both English and Russian dialogue throughout the film , as it really helped create the right atmosphere. Of course at the end when the credits are rolling they give you the infomation you've been waiting for , what happened to the main characters following the aftermath of their struggle. And it's a remarkable story, and I suppose that's why this film works , it's story telling of the highest quality, and we humans love to see the underdog grab the glory every now and then . A heady mix of intense drama and action , with a dose of humanity thrown in to balance it all up. A worthy watch.
- - A customer from Abertawe
  - Posted 12 Jan 2009 21:10
Most recent members' review of Defiance
View all
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

[Highly rated reviewer]

SCHINDLER'S LIST 2 . . . THIS TIME, IT'S COLOUR!

Has the kudos of being based on a true story. Always a plus in my book (even if Hollywood takes the piss by stretching some facts and simply adding some of their own!). Despite being a Bond (and therefore Craig) anorak, this evidences, yet again, that he is pretty one dimensional. Schrieber acts him off the screen and embarasses him by keeping up a convincing accent. Would have been a better film if these two swapped roles.
- - Norman Barry from Surrey, England.
  - Posted 14 Jul 2009 13:10
News and features
View all
Defiance
- 06 Jan 2009
Poland, 1941: Three brothers – the Bielskis – escape a Nazi-ordained massacre at their farm by the skin of their teeth. They hide out in the vast Belarussian forest, while Tuvia (Daniel Craig) waits for a chance to exact his revenge on the collaborators who murdered their parents. Yet to the consternation of his brother Zus (Liev Schreiber) every time Tuvia returns from a recce, he brings more Jewish refugees back with him into the forest. Soon they have a full-scale camp on their... Read more
Image gallery
View all
Showing 1 to 4 of 4

[+] [-]
Previous
Next
More like this
View all
Showing 1 to 4 of 20

[+] [-]
Previous
Munich

Sign up

Buy

Shooting Dogs

Sign up

Buy

The Invasion

Sign up

Buy

An Unfinished Life

Sign up

Buy
Next