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I just re-watched Defiance for the first time since I bought it, over break, and since I don't think I ever reviewed it when I first saw it with my sister last year, better late than never?
Defiance is based on a real story of the four Bielski brothers (the movie focuses on the eldest three) who escape the Nazis to form a rebel group, called an Otriad, in the forests of Belorussia. The oldest, Tuvia (played by Daniel Craig) becomes the leader of the group, which ends up sheltering over 1200 Jewish refugees. Zus, the second brother (Liev Schrieber) meanwhile, is not content with protecting the group, and joins up with the Russian army to fight the Nazis more agressively. The second youngest, Asael (Jamie Bell) has the most interesting story arc, I'll get to him in a second.
First, I have to get into the Russian of it all. Every time I watch this movie I understand a little bit more of the dialogue spoken in Russian, which means I get little bonuses when the spoken words don't match the subtitles, and I get to feel smug about knowing what people are saying. I'm not going to lie, it's definately more fun to watch a movie when you get to feel smart about it.
I really like this film. It's insanely well put together, the realism is kind of fantastic. There are very few moments in the movie that don't ring true, from the acting to the effects to the characters' accents. The acting is great across the board, but the real standouts are of course Daniel Craig in the lead, and actually a more minor character, played by Danish actress Iben Hjejle (from High Fidelity). She plays Zus's love interest, Bella, with subtlety and a sort of tightly controlled rage and desperation, which is only released in one scene, where she gives me absolute chills. Mia Wasikowska, who plays Asael's love interest, Chaya, is also very good.
Back to Jamie Bell and his character. My sister recommended the movie to me by telling me that Asael grows in a very interesting way, and his storyline is in fact one of the standout parts of this movie, at least to me. Weirdly, it doesn't seem to get much mention in the special features on the DVD, although I'll admit I haven't watched the director's commentary yet
Asael starts the movie as a naive, somewhat weak character who is protected by his older brothers, but throughout the course of the film he grows even more capable as a leader than Tuvia. He really comes into his own when the forest camp is attacked. Jamie Bell is an excellent actor, too, and pulls off the character's development very well.
One of the other standouts in the movie is its' realism. The special features were very interesting because they show the filmakers' attention to detail, from matching the dirt makeup to actual dirt in the area, to creating explosion effects which were strictly in line with the actual bombs they were based on. Russian characters speak in subtitled Russian, and German characters in German. The Jewish characters speak in heavily accented English and pepper in Hebrew words without explanation or emphasis. Even the physical acting is realistic- the brothers are very physically affectionate with each other, something you don't often see in American films, but which rings true to the Eastern European culture.
As you might expect from a movie about the holocaust and the persecution of the Jewish people, it's not a very happy film. There are several moments that make me tear up despite repeated re-watching, and there is one scene in particular that is completely heart rending. Shimon, a teacher and religious man (possibly a Rabbi, it's not clear in the movie), is saying a prayer for two dead soldiers. He pleads with God to "choose another people. Grant us but one last blessing: take back our holiness. Choose another people." There are scenes peppered throughout the movie that are tragic on such a large scale that it's difficult to even think about. The characters are insulated, in a way, from the concentration camps and mass murder of the Holocaust, so that when the two events intersect in a tangible way, it's shocking.
I'd recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in well rounded characters, war stories told realistically, and interesting historical stories. Actually I'd recommend it to most people based on the strength of the story and acting. It's kind of amazing how this movie isn't recognized for its quality.
Later: what was I doing tonight before watching the movie.