Defiance [Blu-ray] | ![Defiance [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WliSqypXL._SL500_.jpg) | Actors: Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber
Studio: Paramount
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $16.49
as of 2/9/2010 20:02 EST details
You Save: $13.50 (45%)
New (26) Used (7) from $11.99
Seller: Amazon.com
Rating:  141 reviews
Sales Rank: 2004
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: Blu-ray
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 137 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 42874
UPC: 097361428741
EAN: 0097361428741
ASIN: B001FB55JO
Theatrical Release Date: December 12, 2008
Release Date: June 2, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 2 to 3 days
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Product Description
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 2-JUN-2009
Media Type: Blu-Ray
Amazon.com
Three ferociously committed actors fill the roles of the Bielski brothers, Jewish partisans who escaped into the forests of Eastern Europe during the Second World War. Daniel Craig (taking a break from 007 duty) is Tuvia, the leader of a group of refugees who eventually number over a thousand; Liev Schreiber is Zus, the antagonistic warrior; and Jamie Bell is Asael, a peacemaker no less devoted to the survival of the community. The three performers give life to director Edward Zwick's account of this little-known chapter of Jewish resistance to the Holocaust, which otherwise plays more like a history lesson than a full-blooded movie. The film's best achievement is its strong location work, in Lithuania--as the community makes its home in the forest, the landscape becomes an important player in the drama at hand, and the changing of the seasons is charted with bone-chilling detail. Schreiber manages to get a little wry humor into this otherwise sober enterprise, and Daniel Craig creates an unusual character: a sort of anti-Bond, a hero whose body is all too fallible and whose decision-making is sometimes hesitant or morally compromised. It's a rare hero in a World War II movie that tends to withdraw from scenes rather than stride into them, but that's what Craig does. More than likely, the movie's main achievement will be sending the curious to read the histories of the Bielski brothers and why they matter in the chronicles of the Holocaust. --Robert Horton
Stills from Defiance (Click for larger image)
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 141
 gripping story, well-filmed February 6, 2010
Brynhildr (Syracuse, NY USA)
excellent movie, I wonder why I didn't hear of it soooner. I must admit I haven't seen Schindler's List (nor others about the Holocaust) but the perspective of this one intrigued me. Daniel Craig & Liev Schreiber were great. Some reviewers commented that the lead & supporting characters were under-developed. To them I'd say bring a little more imagination to your film-viewing.
Excellent & Haunting January 26, 2010
Tim Warneka (Cleveland, OH USA)
I was completely unaware of this chapter of WWII history.
Having recently watched this movie with my 14-year old son, I found it quite moving. My son is in a 'guns-are-awesome' period, and I think this movie (thankfully) put a slight damper on his ardor. For me, I haven't been this haunted by a movie since I saw "Platoon" in college in the late '80's. (Not a bad thing to be haunted by a movie, methinks.)
While I'm sure this movie is far from accurate (the final scene with the tank was a bit over-the-top), the gift this movie gives is bringing the story of these Polish survivors to the world. The acting was first rate ... I very much enjoyed watching the brothers interact with each other. Hollywood machismo was (happily!) tossed aside here. These brothers struggle, cry, disagree, reunite, fight, embrace and kiss.
How wonderful to see movie stars act like real men for a change. Daniel Craig, for instance, was so much more three dimensional in this movie than in any of his Bond films (films which are fun to watch when you're in the mood for such things. They are just more 2 dimensional).
I think this would be an excellent film for college and groups for discussion of community and honor and right choices ... and so much more. My son and I watched this movie on DVD. There were several places where we stopped the movie and had interesting, "Ok, you are Tuvia. What would you do right now?" conversations. (My son puts up with a lot from me. ;-D)
I certainly intend on reading the book to learn more about these brave people who lived in the woods for over 2 years to escape the horrors of the Holocaust.
Highly recommended.
Amazing story January 21, 2010
Lowdly DoBad (Warren, OH United States)
They did an excellent job with this movie, the acting, production, directing. The DVD was interesting because it showed in the special features the ancestors that are the product of their will to survive.
AWESOME! January 12, 2010
J. Gonzales (Colorado)
This movie was amazing! Such a great history lesson. Why weren't we taught about this in school? Watching this type of movie reminds me how fortunate I am to have the petty problems I have!
If you want to watch something worth your time and like to be educated, this movie won't disappoint.
History Can Be Stranger (and Grander) Than Fiction January 8, 2010
B. Merritt (WWW.FILMREVIEWSTEW.COM, Pacific Grove, California United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Hidden amongst the multiple film histories that litter the movies, occasionally you'll find a gem of a story that surprises the hell out of you. And DEFIANCE is definitely one of those. Based on the real-life story of the Bielski brothers who helped hide and save over 1,000 Jews from the Nazi death camps, this story is told in an unflinching narrative with brutal acts alongside those of extreme courage.
We often hear that reality can be stranger (and grander) than fiction, and here this holds doubly true. For not only did the Bielski brothers do this amazing ordeal, they also didn't ask for any recognition, reward, or medals. They married and immigrated after WW II ended and decided to live out quiet lives in their little corners of the world (with the exception of one brother who was conscripted into the Soviet army and died in battle).
But fate has a strange way of finding heroes, and this time was no exception. A documentary in 2006 entitled The Bielski Brothers: Jerusalem in the Woods was aired on the History Channel, and two books about them can easily be found, too. As word of what they'd done passed down through generations of survivors (now numbering in the tens of thousands), Hollywood took notice and sought out their history. Not having to embellish much (if at all) this incredible story, a screenplay was rapidly approved, director Ed Zwick (BLOOD DIAMOND) attached, and the rest is ...well ...history.
Daniel Craig (Quantum of Solace) takes the lead role as brother Tuvia, a man with a military past and Jewish roots. When his parents and friends are killed by Nazi hunters and sympathizers, Tuvia and brothers Zus (Liev Schreiber, The Painted Veil), Asael (Jamie Bell, King Kong, 2005), and young Aron (George MacKay) head into the woods for safety. But vengeance versus fear drives what will come next. Tuvia kills his parents' murderers and then ducks deeper into the forests around Belarus. And with him comes other Jews fleeing the Nazi slaughters. Playing a game of hide-and-seek with their tormentors, The Bielski brothers and their followers didn't just cower in fear, but stood up and launched occasional attacks against the German troops. But their greatest victory was surviving and thriving in their forest hideouts. By wars end, they had not only survived, but multiplied and thrived.
Fascinating.
To this day, I often wonder if Hitler is turning over in his grave over this. I think he is. And what a wonderful form of revenge that is. Not because it took some violence on the Jews part to achieve it, but because violence wasn't their primary goal. It was survival. Surviving "The Final Solution" was the one thing Hitler most certainly wouldn't have wanted. And not only did the Bielski brothers and their followers achieve it, they added to their numbers. Sweet revenge!
Daniel Craig does a superb job as Tuvia, including a very believable accent. As does Liev Schreiber as his embittered brother Zus. In fact, I can't think of a single actor/actress that didn't live up to their part in this film. It was a gem to find amongst the forest of other movies out there.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 141
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