Movie Review: the 'James Bond and Sabertooth Save' edition
DEFIANCE
Contrary to what some may say, I did not see this movie to get an eyeful of Daniel Craig or Liev Schreiber. I saw it because of the man behind the camera, Edward Zwick and the fact it is based on one of the most daring instances of fighting for freedom in history. By now, we all know how ruthless the Nazi forces was, and how many lives it destroyed across Europe.
This film chronicles the long hard struggle combated by the Bielski atriad headed up (somewhat reluctantly) by authoritarian Tuvia (Craig), hot-tempered Zus (Schrieber), timid Asael (Jamie Bell, turning into quite the actor) and Aron (youngin' George MacKay) who led up to 1,000 Jewish non-combatants through the Belarussian forests where they had been banished, despite being constantly hounded by relentless Nazi soldiers.
Sometimes the road less traveled is the one to unity.
While humanity scares me at times, it also astounds me in the best possible way. While complications were inevitable during this journey, such as deadly climate changes, uneasy alliances with Russians, drastic food shortages, illness, doubt and leadership arguments between older brothers Tuvia and Zus, the fact this happened amazes me. What intrigued me further was that as the movie's epilogue stated, the Bielski atriad continued until the end of the war, growing in number, turning into a legitimate nomadic society. Wow.
In terms of weakness, I personally didn't have any major issues, though some of the dialogue and plot points resort to some good ol' melodrama when it comes to the relationships between the Bielskis and their wards, and while the horrors of war, while not glorified, are not truly emphasized on to give a true sense of danger. Additionally, there were a few 'false' endings (some of you know my feelings about those). On top of that, despite dire circumstances, the atriad allegedly never resorted to compromising their beliefs (remember, history is always based on a generally accepted opinion rather than on fact). I don't think everybody in the atriad were too proud to resort to cannibalism or retained a wholly pious attitude towards their faith. If you can prove me wrong, please do so, but let's face it, when faced with adversity, instincts can get the better of reason, no matter what your belief.
And just a minor little quibble- I personally don't buy Daniel Craig as a Russian Jew, and at times, his British cadence leaked through his assumed Russian accent... though I must confess, he is the sort of kosher I'd love to sink my teeth into.
Two fourths of the Bielski Boys.
Nonetheless, Zwick manages to keep the audience enthralled for the the majority of the movie with strong performances delivered by the four male leads (anybody who still believes Daniel Craig can't act should see this movie), dazzling cinematography, spiced up with a good story and some choice action sequences, one of my favourite involving Zus and a big tank, you'll know it when you see it. :-D I must also add, there surprisingly wasn't a lot of cliche moments that usually bombard us in these sorts of films.
Zus and Little Friend.
Will this movie ultimately go down in history as a classic? No, far from it, but that is not to say that it's not one of Zwick's best historical films to date. I personally preferred The Last Samurai more, but this film is certainly no slouch when it comes to displaying how, even in humanity's darkest hour, there is still hope, even if one must walk through the flames in order to achieve it.
Quick note: as I was walking out of the cinema afterward, a teenage girl said to her dead-eyed boyfriend 'That was like, so like, depressing', to which I said, though somewhat condescendingly, 'It was set during the Holocaust, what did you expect?'. Kids these days.