Defiance

"Freedom begins with an act of defiance"

2008 2h 17m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 1,972

DramaHistoryWar

Synopsis

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Based on a true story, during World War II, four Jewish brothers escape their Nazi-occupied homeland of West Belarus in Poland and join the Soviet partisans to combat the Nazis. The brothers begin the rescue of roughly 1,200 Jews still trapped in the ghettos of Poland.

“Freedom begins with an act of defiance”

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Cast

Daniel Craig
Tuvia Bielski
Liev Schreiber
Zus Bielski
Jamie Bell
Asael Bielski
Alexa Davalos
Lilka Ticktin
Allan Corduner
Shimon Haretz
Mark Feuerstein
Isaac Malbin
Tomas Arana
Ben Zion Gulkowitz
Jodhi May
Tamara Skidelsky

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Edward Zwick
Writers: Clayton Frohman, Edward Zwick
Languages: German, Russian, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, Russian, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Edward Zwick, shot by Eduardo Serra. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by James Newton Howard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Steven Rosenblum shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Freedom begins with an act of defiance".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1034303 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Edward Zwick directs. Eduardo Serra behind the camera. James Newton Howard scores. Steven Rosenblum cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in German, Russian, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 18 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, Russian, English.
3Directed by Edward Zwick, shot by Eduardo Serra. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by James Newton Howard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Steven Rosenblum shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Freedom begins with an act of defiance".
8IMDB entry: tt1034303 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Eduardo Serra
Original score: James Newton Howard
Editing: Steven Rosenblum
Production design: Dan Weil
Costume design: Jenny Beavan
Makeup / hair: Felicity Wright
VFX supervisor: William Mesa
Sound: Jon Title
Stunt coordinator: Steve Griffin
Runtime: 137 min · 2h 17m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $32,000,000
Box office: $51,155,219
Return: 160% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Defiance (2008)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Edward Zwick

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2023-02-04
★ 7/10
Survival in the woods during WW2 As Nazi forces sweep through Eastern Europe in 1941 the Bielski brothers (Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell) seek refuge in the deep forests on the border of Poland and Belorussia (Belarus). More and more desperate Jews join their ranks for common protection and to oppose the occupying Germans. How can they all survive in the woods during the next four years of war? Released in 2008-2009, "Defiance" is a drama/war film that has a lot going for it: a story based on actual events, good actors, authentic locations (filmed in Lithuania, a mere 100 miles or so from the actual sites), effective cinematography and a quality score. I personally love survival-type films and "Defiance" fills the bill, although it's not great like, say, "The Last of the Mohicans" (1992). The filmmakers throw in all kinds of dynamic things to maintain the viewer's attention: Numerous gun battles, an airstrike and a tank, which are all faithful Hollywood-isms. It would've been better to simply focus on the characters and their gritty survival story. How about a deeper examination of individuals reduced to basic necessities? What about a study of people stripped of all civilized influences, struggling with the animalistic side of their psyche, as depicted in the excellent "Sands of the Kalahari" (1965)? How about the immaterial yet palpable bond of love which unites and gives life even in the worst possible conditions? There's some of this, of course, but I wanted it to go deeper, like in "The Flight of the Phoenix" (1965). One thought-provoking scene concerns a man seeking to join the ever-growing group in the woods wherein he is asked what he does in order to determine how best to utilize his skills. He ponders it a moment and replies that he's "an intellectual." There's of course little use for an intellectual in such a forest community. The region was largely agrarian and so the peasant-types were skilled in at least one practical area as farmers, craftsmen or laborers. But what use was an "intellectual"? How many of us are intellectuals and would largely be useless in such a scenario? We'd learn new skills real quick, huh? So the picture works on a what-if level: How long will our present society endure as it is before many of us are forced to live primitively in the sticks? If that happens, I hope you're more than just "an intellectual." "Defiance" is worthwhile if the survival-in-the-woods plot piques your interest. It's superior to the similar "Tears of the Sun" (2003), but IMHO not quite as good as "Hornet's Nest" (1970) and "Sands of the Kalahari," although it's not far off. The movie runs 2 hours, 17 minutes. GRADE: B/B-
swiewior2024-03-22
★ 1/10
Historically incorrect, Jewish propaganda. Jewish guerilla were not war heros and did not fight Nazi. Instead, they collaborated with Russian underground, stole properties from the villagers and farms for their needs and reselling for Russians. During these robberies they committed unspeakable crimes, leaving them with no chances to survive. They were no heroes to tell stories about, they were war criminals.
CinemaSerf2024-08-02
★ 7/10
Two Jewish brothers - "Tuvia" (Daniel Craig) and "Zus" (Liev Schreiber) are leading a ramshackle group of escapees from the Nazis into the depths of the Belorussian forest. With little food and weapons, their imperative is to try and build some sort of shelter to see them through the harsh winter whilst trying to find allies to help them survive. This is no mean feat, with hundreds of mouths to feed, and it sorely tests the faith of many and the resilience of their commander who is increasingly at odds with his more pro-active brother. It's "Zus" who finally decides to leave and join the approaching Red Army battalion and that leaves "Tuvia" and another brother "Asael" (Jamie Bell) with quite a challenge as sickness and starvation loom. This isn't a particularly well written drama, nor is Craig really that great either. What works here is the sense of desperation that Edward Zwick manage to present us with. The dense forest, the snow, the wind, the darkness and the wolves. The drudgery of these ordinary people reduced to living little better than animals facing a relentless foe that is bent on an irrational plan of slaughter. Tomas Arana does quite well, if sparingly, as the Soviet commander who is suspicious of his Jewish (traditionally non-combatant) cohort and who is also, clearly, a man who probably ought not to be trusted too far. Just to lighten the mood, the under-used Bell gets a little bit of love interest for when the meagre fires die down of a cold evening. In an environment where it really is live or die, the story touches on issues of collaboration and shows us another hugely effective method employed by their enemy to subdue - and keep subdued - a population ill-equipped to survive hand-to-mouth. It is too long - half an hour could come out without savaging the plot, but it's still worth a watch. Just keep a blanket nearby.