A sanitised, far too righteous experiment

Rating: 4/10 (15 March 2009)

Edward Zwick's "Defiance" is a toothless historical drama with noble intentions of being epic in its moving and poignant story mechanics, but only succeeds in leaving the spectator in a state of inanition. Naturally, Eduardo Serra creates a memorable landscape in his direction of photography, but this becomes redundant since the movie is character-driven rather than laden in symbolic scenery. This would be all adequate if it were not for the terrible reality that these characters, completely sincere in their manner, are puppets in the flat sensationalist tone of the collective whole. When you have a war movie limited in action and suspense, you better find a group of actors who can convince as outlawed Jews.
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