Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

"Defiance" had potential to be a truly gripping and emotional film, but its lack of depth and less than impressive technical production caused it to fall a bit flat.-Analysis of Notable Work- *Writing/Directing: The story is one of survival and selflessness. It has the workings of a masterpiece, but it felt more as if it was trying to fill all the check-boxes for cliches in a WWII/Holocaust film. The brothers are at odds half way through the film, there is an old man who says it is hopeless (he is proven wrong), there is a weak character who shows strength in the time of need, etc. This wouldn't be a problem on its own, but each of these moments feel forced, and that is why they fail. Edward Zwick delivers moments of greatness, but much of his direction seems to lead this film into areas that have already been well-explored. *Cinematography/Editing: Eduardo Serra puts in average work in this film, enough to get the point across. The camera placement and movement makes us feel like we are in the moment for most of the film, yet other times it feels out of place and as if there was no real goal for telling a certain part of the story visually. There are too many close-ups in this film, which actually takes power away from the characters because it makes the close-ups feel unimportant. The color palette works well; it appears cold and washed-out which adds to the feeling of death and hopelessness the Jews must have felt. The editing is effective and simple. It has its ups and downs. At times there are too many shots of people being hit by bullets that it loses its weight in the storytelling. But overall, the pacing is even and serves the story well. *Dialogue/Acting: There are moments of brilliance and power in some dialogue and monologue scenes. Some characters give inspiring speeches and some scenes feature dramatic face-offs. However, much of the dialogue written for the supporting cast and extras is rather clunky. The delivery of the extras and supporters does not help matters. When it is brought to the audience's attention that the people on screen are, in fact, actors then it takes away the power of the film. A great film can have the audience convinced throughout the entire film that the characters are authentic people. Liev Schreiber and Daniel Craig deliver adequate performances, but nothing more. They hold the film above water, but do not make it soar. *Music/Sound: The music is subtle for much of the film, but it delivers power to the necessary scenes. It does not try to gain the audiences attention, and it serves the film well by doing this. The sound design is one of the strengths of the film. It provides a sense of realism all the way through, apart from maybe one or two scenes. *Production Design/Special Effects: The costume design and set pieces/props feel authentic and serve the story well. It is easy to get wrapped up in the feel of the 1940s while watching this film. The practical effects are impressive and another of the film's strong points. The visual effects/CGI are less powerful and end up hurting the film. One of the most poorly done parts of the film is when the German planes come through to bomb the Jewish refugees. This scene should terrify us, but it more-so looks laughable.*Conclusion: "Defiance" delivers an impressive story, but not the best way it could have. The end result is worth watching, but not life-altering.

It seemed to be an excellent idea to make a WWII movie, set in Belarus in 1941-1945, showing the (in)famous Belski Brothers, who were Jews making their partisan camp and fighting against the oppressors. The problems stated immediately when I saw the casting. Don't get me wrong, Liev Screiber is a great choice, but Daniel Craig was clearly wrong. He is again a James Bond character, cool and defiant (Pun intended), but he lacks depth and is not convincing as a Jew. The rest of the casting is rather bland and bleak, so you will hardly remember anybody there. The second problem is the historic accuracy. I will not dwell onto details, but in reality that was not so simple as in the movie, as The Belskis fought not just Germans. The reality was much more convoluted, complicated and mixed. The third and really puzzling aspect is - why on earth do they speak a very weird mixture of typically simplified and wronged English and suddenly in Russia. I am Russian, and I was almost jumping on my chair hearing these sudden jumps from broken English to quite clean Russian. Liev speaks Russian better, by the way. Then the battle scenes - well, this shaky camera, these typical explosions, these bullets fatty zing-zanging onto soil - all of that is so ...wel.. Hollywood. The whole battle thing here is so hasty, kinky and wry that it leaves a feeling of utter disbelief. The overall impression - no, this is not your ultimate war movie. It leaves you cold and never lets the feeling of artificial setting go away. My rating - 2.

This is a beautiful movie in many ways, also a very violent and sad one.The story in itself is a good one, it has it all, friendship, love (both brotherly and family), fighting, war and a lot more.The sceneries are very good, there are scenes in the forest that are really special and beautiful but only in the quiet moments. The war scenes are very rough and dirty as they should be.The cast is very good in this movie and to see a good danish actor in it was, well actually a surprise, I didn't know Iben Hjejle was in this one. I'm not a big history fan, but movies that are good, based on true events always make me want to find out more and read up-on-it :)

During WW2, the Bielski family led a group of Russian Jews into the woods in an effort to save as many people as possible. Daniel Craig is excellent as the leader Tuvia, who is maybe not smart, but is street wise and tough. His brother Zus, played by Liv Schreiber, is bigger, tougher, but more of a joker. He's also more of a pure fighter. There are 2 other Bielski younger sons as well.The movie constantly keeps you guessing what will happen next - will the Germans find them. If they find them, what happens. How can so many people survive with no food or shelter. The theme of the movie is to show you that some Jews fought back and did not passively go to their deaths. You can feel the anger of how many deaths they had to deal with when they get their hands on Germans. There is a love interest or two, but those seem to play minor roles. It's mostly all about survival, and brother vs brother, and how the whole Bielski family handles the issues. You should check out the special features interviews with relatives of the real people. Makes you realize that perhaps your troubles pale in comparison to what the survivors had to endure.Defiance is well acted, captivating, and well choreographed. Don't miss this terrific movie. Enjoy.