True Tale of Persecution Defies Belief

Defiance recounts the tale of three Jewish brothers who flee Nazi-occupied Poland into the wild forests of Belarussia.  Many more Jewish men, women and children evading Hitler’s army join them, and they attempt to survive in the forest as a desperate means to escape persecution.  Even as the forest community advances there is the constant threat of death in its many guises. Harsh winters, living on the brink of famine, disease, the German soldiers and bombings, even the Russian Resistance fighters who also inhabit the forest pose a threat to the refugees who have only each other and their freedom to show for their hardships. 

This makes for an ominous, harrowing and often heavy-going viewing experience that only manages to avoid being overbearing through impromptu, wild outbursts of violence that keep the proceedings suspenseful. 

“…impromptu, wild outbursts of violence keep the proceedings suspenseful…”

Following previous efforts ‘Blood Diamond’ (2006) and the ‘Last Samurai’ (2003), Defiance marks another success for Writer, Director and Producer Edward Zwick.  He’s carving himself a solid reputation by offering dramatic insights into a variety of distinctive cultures and history that isn’t traditional Hollywood fodder.  He has a natural empathy for the material but injects enough action, heroism, and cohesion to make it accessible to a wide audience.  The director’s choice for the Bielski brothers is excellent casting.  Each have an independent strength of character, yet share enough courage and grit to lend gravitas to their unintentional rise as respected leaders. 

“The sibling rivalry between the Bielski brothers evokes a gut-wrenching resonance…”

The main focus is on eldest brother Tuvia, played by Daniel Craig.  The role demands more of Craig than his recent return as Bond and he again proves that he’s adept at striking an ideal balance between ruthless apathy, wisdom and integrity.  His younger brother Zus (Liev Schreiber) adopts a much more gung-ho approach, unleashing his anger in reckless attacks against the Germans.  Youngest brother Asael (Jamie Bell) looks up to them both but is torn between them, forced to find his own means of dealing with the dire situation.  At times the sibling rivalry between the Bielski brothers manages to evoke a similarly gut-wrenching resonance as the opening footage of real life atrocities.

“Defiance offers a fresh perspective of the grim realities of World War II.”

It may be grim subject matter, but overall this is a tale of hope, as a band of desperate strangers pull together, building a fully functional community in a bid to survive against impossible odds.  This poses some interesting sociological issues that the Zwick dabbles with, though never explores to its full potential.  The film offers solid production values that only suffer during similar scenes to the Bastogne episodes of ‘Band of Brothers’ (2001) - if you’ve seen those then you may find the action in this a little tame by comparison.

Defiance offers a fresh perspective of the grim realities of World War II. The performances of the courageous yet flawed protagonists provide a gritty, authentic heroism that elevates the tone without ever losing sight of the harrowing subject matter.  Defy anybody claiming they don’t feel the urge to cheer the brothers Bielski during the climactic scenes. 

Rating: ****