Comparing this to Shindler's List doesn't do it justice.

Rating: 8/10 (4 August 2009)

In fact, this may be the most impressive work from director Edward Zwick. The usual Zwick movies tend to play the big scale and go over-dramatic here and there. Movies like The Last Samuri, Blood Diamond and Legends of the Fall all suffer because they are sometimes a bit overdone and sounded phony. Don't get me wrong; he is really a good director in his favorite genre--warfare. Glory is still the best US civil war movie to date with glorious performances. In my opinion, Defiance comes very close in terms of performances. However, what made it stood out is its honesty.
Honestly, this movie doesn't portray big-time heroes like Tom Cruise's Nathan Algren or dramatic moments that wrench your guts like in Legends of the Fall. There's no Brad Pitt goes Rambo or Diccaprio goes Commandos. Neither are there lifting long shots with main characters crying on their killed loved ones. Everything was shot in a more tranquilized, restrained style, although not rendering the whole movie in ultra-realism, still delivered a totally different WW2 movie that's worth a nod. There are virtually no very obvious dramatic turns in this character/plot-driven storyline. All characters have their ego or responsibilities and these things don't change as cheap miracles like other movies. Most impressive achievement is that the director managed to keep the audiences on the edge of their conscience and compassion for 2 hours and still entertained, bringing in positive messages. It's a good movie that tells us the greatest events/moments were usually off the screen, and a group of desperate, weak, sick and lost people can work out their miracle out of the darkest war. The last moments were very inspiring with the true mini-biographies of main characters.
Defiance is almost not biased or overdone, which gave it another quality, which allowed you to view this movie in many perspectives. The scene in which the angry Jews beat the German prisoner to death is a good example of character-development and real history reflection. You can definitely interpret it in many different ways.
Like the other Zwick movies, Defiance was made with great artistic values. Camera works fantastically in the jungle. The changing seasons and the wild defined the movie's desperate undertone. Not to mention the haunting music that is nominated for Oscar. I really like seeing a good director like Zwick taking notes from other great filmmakers and surpasses himself. Way to go, Mr. Edward!.
Defiance is a great movie, and for all great movies' sake, don't try to compare it with Shindler's List or Pianist. It's good enough on its own. And, I still don't understand why people formed an expectation that it's trying to make an artistic breakthrough like Shindler. After all, this is just about some very ordinary Jews trying to survive.
8.4/10