DVD
REVIEW: DEFIANCE
5/31/09
SYNOPSIS: Daniel
Craig (James Bond: Quantum of Solace) stars as Tuvia Bielski,
an ordinary citizen turned hero, in this action-packed epic
of family, honor, vengeance and salvation. Defiance is a
riveting adventure that showcases the extraordinary true
story of the Bielski brothers, simple farmers –outnumbered
and outgunned- who turned a group of war refugees into
powerful freedom fighters. Tuvia, along with his unyielding
brother, Zus (Liev Schreiber, X-Men Origins: Wolverine),
motivate hundreds of civilians to join their ranks against
the Nazi regime. Their “Inspirational story”* is a true
testament to the human spirit. *David Densby, The New Yorker
FILM REVIEW: Yes, yes, I know what you are thinking . . .
not another WWII, Nazi Germany related movie. It has been a
wave of films on the subject crashing into theater shores.
If that is what you are thinking, I recommend that you open
your mind, drop the pessimism, and give this one a chance.
If you are thinking ‘sure, bring it on’ then you are in for
a treat. I’ve seen Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Valkyrie, and
now this one and I can say that this is arguably the best of
the three. You are taken into the woods with the Bielski
brothers as they struggle to escape, hide, survive, and
every now and then fight back. They are joined by hundreds
of others that are trying to do the same. The Germans and
German supporters of that time seemed to enjoy hunting Jews
just because they exist. In their eyes the Jews were less
than dogs and they were treated as such. This film is full
of death, unspeakable pain, suffering and yet at the same
time hope and determination. The Bielski brothers, more
specifically Tuvia (Daniel Craig), are thrust into
leadership roles within this make-shift community in the
middle of a Belarusian forest. Tuvia is viewed as a Moses,
leading God’s people out of bondage and away from Egypt. He
somewhat reluctantly assumes the role and he has to deal
with maintaining constant vigilance, rough winters, illness,
food shortages, and of course the monster that lurks in all
of us that could easily surface under these conditions. Oh
yeah, by the way, this movie is based on a true story so all
of this actually happened. That makes the movie that much
more impressive to me and helps take it over the top,
especially if it is done right. You will escape with them,
hide with them, suffer with them, struggle with them, want
vengeance for them, route for them, fight with them, and
feel for them. This film was done right.
The two most captivating aspects of this film are the
storyline and the performances. Taking the lead in the
performances category are the three main stars, Daniel
Craig, Liev Schreiber, and Jamie Bell who play the Bielski
brothers. All three give strong performances and the rest of
the cast support them well with convincing performances
also. They all did a pretty good job with the accents too.
As for the storyline, again, being based on a true story is
a plus. It was comfortably laid out and it didn’t really
drag at all which is not bad for a movie that is well over 2
hours long. Even though the majority of the movie takes
place in the woods (it was actually shot in Lithuania, very
close to the actual location of the Bielski camp site), the
cinematography was amazing. Oscar winner Edward Zwick
(Glory, Legends of the Fall, Courage Under Fire, The Siege,
The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond) has done another
masterpiece which he can add to his collection. As Writer,
Director, and Producer of this picture, I think he has an
opportunity for another Oscar. Defiance is about the revenge
that the Jews are seeking not necessarily by fighting back,
but by staying alive.
Film
Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
VIDEO:
2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen (16x9)
AUDIO:
English , French
Spanish5.1 (Dolby Digital).
Subtitles - English
French - Optional
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Commentary by director Edward Zwick
Defiance: Return to the Forest
—Explores all aspects of production from the early stages of
pre-production to shooting on location in Lithuania. Edward
Zwick and his creative team discuss some of the challenges
and also the rewards of adapting this well-documented
historical event into a feature film.
Bielski Partisan Survivors
—Photo gallery of images taken by Edward Zwick including
behind-the-scenes images and surviving members from the
Bielski Otriad.
Children of the Otriad: The Families Speak
—Descendents of the Bielski family tour the film's set and
relate the story of the real-life partisans along with
efforts to preserve the brothers' legacy.
Theatrical trailers
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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