Defiance
Director: Edward Zwick
Cert: 15
Time: 2 hrs 17 mins
Were this film not based on a true story it is unlikely that one would believe it. It begins in 1941 as the Jews of Eastern Europe are being massacred in their thousands. Escaping certain death three brothers take refuge in the dense woodlands where they have grown up and begin a desperate battle for survival. Daniel Craig, Liev Shreiber and Jamie Bell play the Bielski brothers who create a makeshift community for Jews escaping the ghettos in the surrounding towns. By war’s end 1200 of them had survived, in what by any standards is a remarkable tale.
Putting aside the rather cheesy end, where the director strays into fiction rather than sticking to fact, this is a fine film. So often portrayed as willing accomplices in their own demise it shows a different side of Jewish behaviour, one of resistance and at times brutal barbarity. And in the role of leader Daniel Craig makes a good fist of portraying a tortured soul trying to balance the conflicting demands of survival against the need to maintain a sense of humanity.
Moving and ultimately uplifting you will find yourself thinking about this film for some time after.
Rating: 3/5
Patrons: 27
CA
