Defiance (Paramount Vantage)
They Fought Back
The new movie Defiance is based on actual events and it tells the story of some Jews who banded together during World War II and fought back against the Germans. This is an aspect of history that has gotten little publicity and it is interesting from that point, but a lack of pacing and some dull stretches makes this a slow moving action film.
Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell play the Bielski brothers. At the start of the movie their parents have been killed by the Germans who have invaded Poland during World War II. Asael (Bell) had been living at home but escaped by hiding from the Germans. He goes into the forest and meets up with his brothers Tuvia (Craig) and Zus (Schreiber).
The three brothers band together and begin to offer refuge to other fleeing the Germans. They build a small community in the woods and from there they strike at German targets to gain food and other supplies. They are constantly in danger of being discovered. Zus argues that they should kill more Germans but Tuvia argues that they will not become the animals the Germans are.
The battle sequences are too rare in the film and this lack of action drags the movie down. Plus you never get a real sense of who the individual brothers are. You know their purpose but you cant put a finger on their characters. They are heroes but heroes who stay strangers to the audience.
Craig is okay as Tuvia but he shows none of the charisma he exuded when playing Bond. Schreiber acts the same way. He never lets down his guard as Zus, not even in scenes with his brothers. Bell is the most appealing of the three actors. He actually shows some emotion in his role.
The film is rated R for profanity and violence.
This film is about the oppression of the Jews and the instances where they actually did fight back. With this message the movie should have been packed with emotion an thrills, but it isnt. You get the point of the movie but you never get any emotional impact.
Defiance ends up being a war movie with very little action and no emotional payoff. As such it is a major disappointment.
I scored Defiance a fighting back 5 out of 10.
