Walking in a winter wonderland

Rating: 8/10 (17 January 2011)

On the strength of this, THE LAST SAMURAI and BLOOD DIAMOND, Edward Zwick is currently one of the best directors working in Hollywood. He's able to tell little-known stories in an exciting, dramatic and well-paced way and DEFIANCE is no exception.
It's the little-told story of Jewish refugees hiding out in the woods in WW2-era Eastern Europe, desperately trying to avoid the Nazis and at the same time coping with survival outdoors in the harsh winter landscape. The story is well-filmed throughout and full of moving scenes. The casting is exceptional: Liev Schreiber, who before now I've only seen in inconsequential work, excels as the brother turn between his duties and his self-belief; Daniel Craig makes for an embittered, fragile hero, a far cry from his man-of-muscle Bond, and Jamie Bell goes from strength to strength.
The film goes through all of the situations you'd expect from a WW2 epic: there are pitched battles, shoot-outs and long stretches of tension in which the refugees attempt to keep away from the prying eyes of the invading Nazis. There are betrayals and moments of inspiration; hope and despair; the film is so enthralling because it becomes a story of the human condition, with almost every emotion playing out at some point before our eyes. Although the film is often dark and gritty, at the same time it raises hope in the viewer in its depiction of dauntless courage. Recommended.