DEFIANCE

rated R

ART--->**
HEART->****
MIND-->**
FUN--->*1/2

Based on true accounts, DEFIANCE paints a realistic, desperate picture of survival during World War II. In 1941, three brothers become the reluctant leaders of displaced Jews in Russia. Going on runs for food, weapons, and revenge, their numbers grow along with their struggle. Battling hunger and disease, they fight for their lives. The people they take care of must learn to work together and form a functional nomadic society.

Daniel Craig, whose blue-eyed stare pierces to the very core of your soul, is a tough but compassionate leader. At odds with him is his brother, played by Liev Shreiber, who wants to take the fight to the Germans. As they split, both must make committed decisions about their place in the war. Schreiber fights alongside a Russian military faction, not only against the Nazis, but for his own people. Craig's command is about making everyone a part of the struggle, and not always stepping in to solve interior disputes. When he does have to intervene, you know it's serious.

There's plenty of violence, but it is never glorified, only realistic. You are left to make up your own mind about what you would do under the circumstances. Who would you spare? What judgments would you make? Director Edward Zwick should be commended for striking this delicate balance in such a rugged setting.

DEFIANCE. What a welcome, noble, and difficult story to tell. There's no room for the spineless here. (Which is why it will be completely ignored at the Oscars.)This is Red Meat Cinema.

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