Defiance (R-2009)

"Defiance" is the true story of the Bielski brothers: Tuvia (Daniel Craig), Zus (Liev Schrieber) and Asael (Jamie Bell), who escape when the Nazis invade their town and hide out in the woods. As their hideout progresses, they come into contact with other Jewish refugees and have to decide whether they can "save everybody" or just keep their group small to survive. Tuvia and Zus have very different opinions on the subject, leading to some conflict among the brother and tension in the camp. Tuvia is determined to help all that need them, which certainly becomes an ominous task. Of course, the other complication is that they are being looked for by Nazi "Jew hunters" and must occasionally fight them off. This is a riveting story of a community being built by the necessity of survival and struggling to define what is "the common good". The performances by Craig and Schrieber are top-notch. Those looking for a "James Bond" type performance from Craig WILL be disappointed. This is a much more conflicted role and shows Craig's range as an actor. Schrieber is also very under-rated and has basically been very good to great in everything I've seen him do. Sure, the movie does get slow at times as we are watching the emergence of a new community with the conflicts, in-fighting and politics all come into play with different people trying to set or influence the rules to their own liking. Despite occurring in the relatively modern World War II era, you really get a sense of what it might have been like for the Europeans who first arrived in the New World and began to build what would become the United States. The story builds to a climax in which the Nazis bear down on them, forcing them to fight for their lives as they try to escape, using the "Exodus" story from the Old Testament to guide them. While more dialogue-driven than I would have expected, I still found the movie to be very entertaining.

Grade: B+

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