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Reviews Counted:168
Fresh:94
Rotten:74
Average Rating:5.8/10
Consensus: Professionally made but artistically uninspired, Ed Zwick's story of Jews surviving WWII in the Belarus forest lacks the emotional punch of the actual history.
Theatrical Release:09-01-2009
Synopsis: DEFIANCE is a different kind of World War II movie, one that looks at the Holocaust from a unique angle--telling the true story of a group of Jews in Eastern Europe who fought back. On the run from... [More]
Starring: Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, Alexa Davalos
Director: Edward Zwick
The film ties itself in knots trying to be both historical account and ripping adventure – ‘Schindler’s List’ by way of ‘The Dirty Dozen’. In the end neither aspect satisfies, resulting in a drab if diverting Sunday afternoon spectacle.
Top CriticManly virtues, melodrama, conflict and combat are all deployed to tell a fascinating, little-known story of remarkable WWII heroism.
Top CriticI can understand why the film demands to be treated with the utmost respect. It is haunting, impressive and moving. But ultimately it looks, smells and feels too familiar.
Top CriticDefiance makes a noise but leaves no echo. It feels progressively more bogus and less significant the further it recedes from view, and myths are meant to wax in the memory, not wane.
Top CriticZwick’s films (Glory, The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond) are always well-mounted, in their pedigreed and worthy way. But they nag away at us like pious busybodies, and this is no exception.
Top CriticShot in the wilds of Lithuania and strewn with dramatic battles of all kinds, this epic, Band of Brothers-meets-Exodus adventure is solid stuff indeed.
An amazing true tale is somewhat diminished by second-hand storytelling: entirely admirable, largely entertaining, and yet curiously hollow.
Top Critic“Jews don’t fight!” mutters a Red Army soldier. “These Jews do!” says another admiringly. Great pitch, largely undone by stilted, solemn direction.
It isn't all it might have been, but it's still a gripping yarn, intelligently crafted, worth seeing. And Schreiber is superb.
A solid film that rouses simply because the story is so incredible, while Bond star Craig is a charismatic presence throughout.
Craig, Liev Schrieber and Jamie Bell give moving performances but not amazing ones. And so it’s a case of better luck next time, Mr Craig.
A stirring story ends up being lost in a stir of clichés and designer desultoriness.
Defiance remains a fantastic story. No one could doubt the sincerity of its telling. What Defiance lacks is simply an ability to make it come fully alive.
An epic scope weakens what's actually a gritty, intimate drama about survival. But it's a terrific true story.
For Daniel Craig the world of Bond could not be more far away: if his East European accent wobbles at times to Liev Schreiber's more authentic vocal, he looks the part of a man who can both kill and care.
Enjoyable, well-acted and impressively shot wartime drama that reveals a remarkable true story, though it's at least 20 minutes too long and outstays its welcome before the end.
In trying to add a new chapter to the long history of films made about the Holocaust, Defiance can barely move a narrative muscle without bumping into another, better movie that covers some of the same ground.
Un drama bélico eficaz que rescata la heroicidad de los hermanos Bielski, protagonistas de un episodio poco conocido de la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
This is not an easy film to watch, as it describes the horrors of war with neither sympathetic nor maudlin touches.
In addition to blowing bunker-sized holes in the concept of Jewish timidity during the Holocaust, it's also a darn good bit of period storytelling.
September 02, 2009:
RT on DVD: Defiance, Entourage and Heroes
This week, Holocaust drama in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and Holocaust action in Defiance; but are they a match for the evils of Hollywood in Entourage? More...
June 01, 2009:
RT on DVD: Defiance, Revolutionary Road, and Snakes on a Submarine
This week on DVD catch up on a few big flicks you might have missed in theaters, including an Oscar-nominated suburban period piece by Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road, starring... More...
May 28, 2009:
WWII drama chronicles real-life case of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. 
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January 15, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Paul Blart: Mall Cop Isn't Arresting
This week at the movies, we've got a guard with insecurity (Paul Blart: Mall Cop, starring Kevin James); pampered pooches (Hotel for Dogs, starring Emma Roberts and Jake T.... More...
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