Movie Review: 'Defiance'

I don't have BOTWs anymore. Really I don't. I do, however, get on kicks. That would be why a couple weeks ago I watched 'Easy Virtue' and 'Girl With a Pearl Earring,' and tried to get 'What a Girl Wants' and 'Dorian Gray' out of the library (instead I had to be put on the waiting list for both). And that would be why, after seeing part of a PBS special and watching 'The Hurricane' (because of the book), I watched 'The Manchurian Candidate' the other night and tonight watched 'Defiance.' I'm on a Liev kick.

So anyway.

'Defiance' is based on the true story of the Bielski brothers, who in WWII Belorussia led a large group of Jews into the woods not just to hide from the Nazis, but to try to live free. They organized themselves into a community with makeshift houses, jobs, a school, and basically a military. They made do with what they had or stole what they needed, and weren't afraid to fight.

It was a good movie. Liev was excellent in his role as the more wild and brash brother (you know, I think he's underrated), as was Daniel Craig in his as the older, wiser one. I don't know who ever thought 'Hey, let's cast Liev Schreiber and Daniel Craig as brothers,' but they were alright together. Jamie Bell, as their younger brother, I think helped pull it together. (He was adorable, by the way.) (As was Mark Feuerstein. But then, we all know that I can't resist them Jews.)

There may have been a little something lacking, but I can't place my finger on what. Maybe it was just that the pointlessness of a 3 minute love interest for Liev annoyed me. For the most part, though, I liked it. And, as Liev said explaining why he did another Jews-in-WWII movie, the interesting thing about this story is that the Jews were not victims. They were fighting. It is a story that should be shared.