Thanks.ad78472 wrote:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034303/boa ... /100075153
Maybe we should post it here. Not sure everyone has an account there. But I found mine:
I guess I have to write SPOILERS as well (not sure if I have to).
by socaliscorpio 21 hours ago (Tue Mar 11 2008 14:34:22) Ignore this User | Report Abuse
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DEFIANCE... DELIVERS
There will be tears... There will be cheers...
Mostly though, DEFIANCE is an expertly crafted, beautifully acted drama set inside... a good old fashioned action movie. Complete with compelling and complex heroes played by Daniel Craig (Tuvia), Liev Schreiber (Zus) and Jamie Bell (Asael), DEFIANCE grips you from the first frame and doesn’t let go.
Directed by Ed Zwick, DEFIANCE is the fascinating true story about three Jewish brothers who escape into the Belarussian forest to survive when Jews were being massacred by the thousands during the Nazi invasion of Poland. The brothers don’t just hide. They don’t just survive. They fight. They save 1,200 other Jews in the process, all of whom form a community in the middle of the woods that provides freedom, hope and a base of operation for missions against the Nazis. I can’t believe I’d never heard about this story or these amazing, courageous people before.
I don’t wish to give up the whole plot here because action movies rely on audiences not knowing every move before it happens on screen. So I don’t plan on providing a lot of detail here but here’s what stood out for me: The film’s opening sequence takes what appears to be real footage circa 1941 of Jews bring viciously rounded up for slaughter and seamlessly blends from black and white pictures with a scratchy, ancient look about them to the shiny, colorful grandness of cinematographer, Eduardo Serra’s luscious framework. The segue is particularly effective because it starts the film off with the reminder that we’re about to witness something that is based on true events, but lets us know that we’ll be seeing it with Zwick and company’s signature look and feel of his best filmmaking efforts. It doesn’t disappoint.
Daniel Craig is the moral center of the film, but as mentioned in paragraph one, these are complex men. Don’t expect “good guys fight bad guys” and call it a day. While Craig’s character is the leader, he also experiences moments of weakness, allowing other characters reveal their strengths in those moments. I was really impressed by Craig in this movie. I’ve always thought of him as a “fluffy” actor but with DEFIANCE, he proves himself as a serious dramatic force. Liev Schreiber, who is consistently good in every role he tackles, really pulls out all the stops with “Zus.” This is Schreiber’s coming out party as a bonafide movie star. And Jamie Bell is all grown up and kicking some serious thespian ass in the film. Nice to see little Billy Elliott sinking his teeth into a meaty role. The stunning Alexa Davalos (where has this girl been?) is a find. The entire ensemble is terrific down to the smallest role.
From the direction, editing, cinematography, costumes to the production design and incredibly realistic sound, DEFIANCE is simply beautiful to watch. And I’m glad that it didn’t travel the traditional Holocaust drama road, but emerged as something very different and quite satisfying. Despite tackling some pretty difficult subject matter and dealing with intense situations, unbelievably, the film is not depressing but rather... Inspiring... It’s just an old-fashioned crowd pleaser.
Sad poor people.
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