Defiance review

I have to admit I am a sucker for biopic films and WWII stories so I never stood a chance against “Defiance.”
I thought I had the film pegged as just another WWII survivor movie. I thought I had heard all the stories there were to hear and I was hoping this was going to be different.
My wish came true.
The movie tells the true story of the Bielski brothers whose families were killed by the Nazis in 1941.
Tuvia Bielski (Daniel Craig) and his brothers Zus (Liev Schreiber) and Asael (Jamie Bell) hide in the forest they played in as children.
As they travel through the forest, they find more Jews seeking refuge and take them under their wing. Soon, Tuvia goes on missions to find more Jews to bring to the forest for protection.
Zus, more fueled by revenge than grief at the death of his family decides to go on murderous rampages — killing any Nazis he can find.
With the number of people in the forest reaching the hundreds, the group begins to make the forest their home by building shelter, going on food missions and holding weddings.
The group faces many challenges including winter with little food, sickness and Nazis.
The film could be classified as an edge-of-your-seat thriller. It may be a thriller, but it is also one of the most inspiring films I have seen in years.
It is easy not to think about the individuals in the Holocaust when it is lumped into the term “six million people,” but when you are connected through a story or film such as this one, the terror of the event becomes clear.
There were several scenes which brought tears to my eyes. A rabbi asking God to choose another people to call his own so they would no longer have to suffer, or a group of angry Jews yelling out the names and ages of those they lost at the hands of the evil Nazi regime were more gut-wrenching then any violence in the film.
There were also moments of inspiration which caused a lump in my throat. Although it may have been a bit much to have Craig’s character literally riding a white horse, his speech about living being the revenge they took out on the Nazis was fascinating and awe-inspiring.
The greatest factors of the movie were the story and the characters, but the action also brought a lot to the table.
Watching the group of forest-dwelling Jews fighting off the Nazis was not only inspiring — it brought excitement to the table as well.
I was on the edge of my seat in every moment of action awaiting the outcome of who might live and who might die in the fight to save the small home these people had made for themselves.
Craig, Schreiber and Bell are the main characters in the film and not one of them did a terrible job requiring the others to pick up the slack and slowing the movie down.
Craig may be known for being a pretty face, but this film should prove to any non-believers he can act as well. His piercing blue eyes are great for showing his agony and suffering during his time as leader in the forest.
At several points throughout the film, he is required to convey a message without speaking and he does it to perfection.
It isn’t one of the greatest performances of all time, but it is good enough to keep a great film from falling to the “just good” category because of horrendous acting skills.
Schreiber has never been a leading man in films, but he could play a second-lead character with his hands tied behind his back and blindfolded. A veteran of the gloomy character, Schreiber is great as a brother fueled by revenge and not in the least bit by helping those in need — leading to clashes with Craig.
Although they look nothing alike, he and Craig are convincing as the brothers they are portraying. The two share glances anyone with a sibling can recognize and have a competition anyone with a brother can relate with.
I am also a sucker for films about brothers (“A River Runs Through It”, “Legends of the Fall”). This film may be a story of inspiration because of the group of people who defied the odds and survived in a forest for several years, but it is also an inspiring story about a family coming together.
I connected to the story between the brothers played by Craig and Schreiber, but Bell also held his own — even as the more whiny brother who has to find his spine through this harrowing adventure. I can tell Bell is a talented actor because he plays what would normally be an annoying character and makes him both endearing and likeable.
You never fault him for being afraid because he has every right to be afraid and he convinces you of that throughout the film.
It isn’t much to say it is my favorite film of the year because it is only January. However, it is one of the best war movies I have seen in several years, one of the most inspirational films I have seen in several years and one of the best family (brother) films I have seen in several years.

Starring: Daniel Craig, Jamie Bell and Liev Schreiber
Rated R for violence and language.
Rating: 4 stars