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Released 9th January 2009
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Writer/Director Edward Zwick’s (Blood Diamond) new war drama is another one of those many amazing and previously unheard stories of great heroism and survival from World War II that capture one small pocket of existence from the time. To be honest, though, the initial problem was trying to get over 007 with a Russian (or Polish?) accent. Daniel Craig stars as one of the three Bielski brothers who lead a group of Jews in hiding from the Nazis and their sympathisers in Belarusian woods. Craig acts like a cross between a grubby-looking Bond, Robin Hood, and Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof. With a hot shower and a suit change, Bond could be right there in the undergrowth, ready to take on the Nazi hunters! Perhaps, a slightly different hairstyle to Craig’s trademark ‘007 cut’ would have made a little more sense, at least for relaying such an important story? Just a humble opinion…
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In all seriousness, though, once this small Bond hurdle is overcome, Zwick’s captivating epic of family, honour, vengeance and salvation has some equally stirring moments as Spielberg’s Schindler’s List — just on a smaller scale. The success of the plot rides purely on Craig’s, Liev Schreiber’s and Jamie Bell’s broad shoulders, as the three warring Bielsk brothers who become natural-born leaders to the Jewish colony, to propel the story forward to a conclusion. As the woodland tale unfolds, these three begin to grow in character and believability on screen to become forces to be reckoned with and admired. Schreiber’s Russian is highly impressive, too, adding to his own character’s authenticity. There are also enough character insights into the supporting cast to build an adequate picture of the variety of people that lived there. This is Mein Kampf from a Jewish perspective, as the struggle is both internal and external for the brothers, combined with a sibling rivalry that keeps the momentum flowing.
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As with a film of this subject, there are scenes of necessary brutality, and other bloodier scenes do not to reveal the whole horror, such as the ‘death-by-clubbing’ of a captured Nazi soldier. Zwick has tastefully spared the details, whilst, perhaps, over-egging some of the Yiddish traits that the woodland folk try to preserve in their new reality. The Russian Army are also portrayed as incompetent, racist, disloyal and uninterested in this film, although whether these depictions are historically accurate is questionable. There are the obvious clichés in the film that are both vital and unavoidable to portray the fundamentals of the situation and the emotion of a people virtually wiped out.
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Defiance is an aptly-named project for Daniel Craig who proves that he is not just Bond, but can transcend into an action-man capable of portraying raw emotion in a period piece. A compelling story that needs to be told, Zwick’s absorbing film is a small-scale reminder of both the barbarity and humanity of man.
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By Lisa Keddie
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Synopsis
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Based on an extraordinary true story, Defiance is an epic tale of family, honor, vengeance and salvation.
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The year is 1941 and the Jews of Eastern Europe are being massacred by the thousands. Managing to escape certain death, three brothers take refuge in the dense surrounding woods they have known since childhood. There they begin their desperate battle against the Nazis.
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Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell star as brothers who turn a primitive struggle to survive into something far more consequential - a way to avenge the deaths of their loved ones by saving thousands of others.
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Film Facts
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Official UK site: http://www.defiancemovie.co.uk/
UK Release Date: 9th January 2009
Director: Edward Zwick
Writers: Edward Zwick, Clayton Frohman
Cast: Daniel Craig (’Tuvia Bielski’), Liev Schreiber (’Zus Bielski’), Jamie Bell (’Asael Bielski’), George MacKay (’Aron Bielski’)
UK Distributor: Momentum Pictures
Certificate: 15
Run-time: TBC
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Video on Real.com
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Trailer:
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TWO CLIPS:
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European Premiere:
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Cast and director interviews:
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