Hollywood History

Rating: 6/10 (29 March 2015)

This opened to mixed reviews and allegations that's a heavily sugar coated version of history . Even the allegations about allegations seemed steeped in controversy with an article in The Guardian about DEFIANCE being booed in Poland leading to the Polish embassy in Britain releasing a statement saying no such incident had taken place . Again like more than a few films recently especially ones featuring the topic of war you have to remember that the important word in the phrase " based on a true story" is "based" and not "true"
True to form DEFIANCE does seem somewhat clichéd and a Hollywood interpretation of history . Two Jewish brothers Zus and Tuvia escape Nazi genocide and flee in to the Belarussian forests and while Zus wants to instinctively kill Germans for murdering his family Tuvia wants to keep a more humane ideal of using the forests as a sanctuary for Jewish refugees . There's a good story in there somewhere and DEFIANCE is a good film in parts but I've never been keen on Edward Zwick as a director . Zwick seems unable to tell a streamlined focused story and throws constant clichés at the audience perhaps romantic clichés being the most noticeable and intrusive ones . Oh and if you think that's intrusive every time there's an emotional scene there's eith a diagetic or non diagetic violin playing in the background . Perhaps worst of all is the unintentional feeling that the characters quite enjoy living in a forest because living in a city will see them murdered . " More mouths to feed ...but more bodies to keep us warm " Are you telling me that Hitler bloke has done you a big favour . Undoubtedly not but that's the impression the film gives . As it stands the Soviet masterpiece COME AND SEE set during in the same era and location tells a similar story much , much better