Defiance

Defiance – 2009

 ***½ Out of **** 

Edward Zwick.  Master of the politically correct action film.  From The Last Samurai, to The Siege, to Glory, to Blood Diamond, Zwick continues to masterfully blend riveting entertainment with lush cultural backdrops, history and deep societal issues.  Having already tackled nearly every other conflict such as The American Civil War, the African conflict, battles of ancient Asia and modern day terrorist scenarios we are now brought into WWII. 

Movies set in the second world war are numerous, as are those centered around the struggles of the Jewish population at the hand of the Nazi's.  But when you infuse a common plot device with a moving true story, impeccable direction, an incredibly tense but character driven narrative and anchor the former with three fantastic performances you get something worth seeking out. 

Defiance tells the true (to what extent I am unsure) story of the Bielski brothers, a band of rough, sometimes brutal smugglers who flee into the Belarussian forest after the Nazi extermination begins.  Struck with mounting losses of close family and friends the three eldest brothers played by Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell (as Tuvia, Zus and Asael respectively) band, reluctantly, with other refugees of the massacres and begin to form a small village deep within the forest.  As the Nazi's push deeper, the Bielski's are forced to confront both enemy soldiers and each other as the situation becomes increasingly desperate. 

Although peppered with extraordinarily choreographed battle sequences, the true bulk of what makes defiance such a success is the interactions between the brothers, chiefly Tuvia and Zus.  The struggles between their bond as kin and their desires to be leaders is fully realized and expertly portrayed.  Craig, Schreiber and Bell are all excellent nicely holding their Russian accents throughout the film and all pull off a great sense of chemistry with the three women they respectively meet over their years of hiding.  The Bielski's are all deeply flawed individuals; at times brutal and callous but rise to the occasion and display warmth and humanity when their followers need it most.  The refugees' struggles never feels false either, as the deadly winter months, sickness and internal conflict is completely visceral.     

If there is any fault to be found it would be with the familiar story of Jews in a struggle, but as I motioned it is still a compelling tale.  There are moments that sag, and perhaps a few too many scenes with Zus and Tuvia duking it out, but they are all minor quibbles that are quickly forgotten.  This war epic brings the human factor that is lost in many bug budget war epics like Windtalkers and avoids the soapy melodrama of films like Pearl harbour and it is that which makes Defiance both inspiring and resonant.