A gritty film that captures the audience and delivers the message

Rating: 7/10 (13 November 2009)

Movies based on true stories have a big advantage. We are already believing what we watch without asking ourselves if the story is believable. But in fairness, Defiance is totally believable and not once will you say "I don't believe that!". It's a very good film. I'm always on the look-out for stupid errors in continuity or bad directing, but I couldn't see any here. Maybe because I was busy watching, but I don't think there were any to notice. The director managed to make all his characters 'real' and the story was dull enough for short periods to be totally true to life. Even Daniel Craig, who is not in my best 100 actors list, did very well and seemed to relish the role. In fact all the acting was high quality and the set (a real forest) was stunning and very atmospheric. The story is strong and inspiring. Very much a case of 'good' winning through. But embedded in the dialogues are many aspects of family disputes, social pressures, animal instincts, blind loyalty, and emotional trauma. Watch it. It's worth it.