Defiance

I'm not a big fan of war films, I know, I know, I should be ashamed of myself, but really there are times when war films serve only two purposes: One to depress the world about what has happened or Two to make sure people never forget the horrors of war. Defiance is a little bit of both.

Based on a true story, Defiance tells the story of the Bielski brothers Tuvia (Daniel Craig), Zus (Liev Schreiber) and Asael (Jamie Bell) who manage to escape their certain death at the hands of the Nazis and go hiding in the forest. At first their only thought was fortheir own survival and revenge over the attacks on their family and village, but soon they begin to attract more and more people who are also being persecuted for being Jewish. As the harsh winter draws in and food becomes scarce there is rebellion with the group particularly between Tuvia and Zusover Tuvia's leadership and rules. Through all this the group struggle to stay alive, hiding from the Germans and those who would happily betray them for a few roubles.

Now, although I'm not a big fan of this type of film I was utterly captivated by this film from start to finish. Everything about Defiance summed up the description 'epic'. Little elements throughout the film, such as the film's stunning opening sequences that meshes real documentary footage with new footage is such a masterful piece of editing that you'd beforgiven for not realising when the real film kicks in. When it does, it is like a rollercoaster ride that just won't let you go. It would be wrong to not look at this film as an ensemble piece, as the performances by everyone are all beautiful. A lot has been made of Daniel Craig's performance, but it is Liev Schreiber who should be drawing the praise and how he was not nominated for his performance is shocking. The use of the language by everyone is well balanced and perfect, but Schreiber's mastering of the Russian dialect is phenomenal, reminiscent of De Niro's mastering of Sicilian for The Godfather Part Two.

The film itself is almost a perfect balance of action and drama and though the obvious comparison is with Schindler's List, it is Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan that should bring the more similarities in its style. Rather than being a story about Jews escaping of fleeing, this is about the Jewish people fighting back which I don't think I've ever seen in a film before and it makes it even more intriguing. The action scenes are edited to within an inch of their lives to the point where every second, every angle, every shot is there for a reason and so not a moment is wasted. The music byJames Newton Howard is a final wonderful cherry on the cake. Emotive, similar to that of his The Dark Knight collaborator Hans Zimmer and the little touches that his scores give just punch every emotional button to the point of it becoming unbearable not to react.

And react we do. This is a film about revenge and hope. Midway through the film Craig's character declares 'Our revenge is to live!' and this becomes almost a perfect summing up of the film as a whole. At times the characters have to make choices, to kill or be killed, to spare the life of someone who is just obeying orders or allow that person the mercy that they would not receive in return. Defiance is a powerful look at what revenge through killing can actually achieve and it is at times difficult to watch certain sequences in the film.

It is sad that this DVD is not packed with special features, but what is on offer is great. I always think that I would take two or three great features over a multitude of things which I will never look at again. What is given is a feature commentary by Director Edward Zwick, who presents us with possibly the best example of a single person commentary that I have heard for a long time. He is neither boring, nor leaves us in silence for too long and appears to have prepared for this so that the entire film is analysed without just being self-congratulatory or smug about his own work. Return to the Forest is your typical Behind the Scenes look at the creation of the film with interviews by everyone involved in its creation. This is rounded off by a trailer, which almost makes me want to go back and watch the film all over again.

Defiance is one of the best war films I have ever seen... actually, scratch that, it is one of the best films I've seen in a long time. Ticking every box, I cannot think of one aspect in which this film fails to deliver and is a film that everyone should experience.