Defiance (2008) * * 1/2

Directed by:  Edward Zwick

Starring:  Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, Allan Corduner, Alexa Davalos

Defiance is a story of a small community of Belarusians who survived Nazi genocide in the wilderness during World War II.     You would think such a story would be riveting, but it isn't.   It is compelling in spots, but not consistently, so Defiance is perhaps better to be told as a documentary instead of a dramatic film. 

The film is based on true events, although how much dramatic license was taken is anyone's guess.   Defiance tells the story of the Bielski brothers:  Tuvia (Craig), Zus (Schreiber), and Asael (Bell), who escape Nazi roundups and hide out in the thick forest avoiding capture.    Soon, word of their hiding spreads and many more Jews join the Bielskis.    The group forms a self-sustaining community which includes policing the forest, building small forts and huts, and hunting wildlife for food.    They remain on the run for the duration of the war, which requires them to pick up and leave at a moment's notice.    The Soviet Army, to which the bloodthirsty, vengeance-minded Zus joins, assists when it can, but they have bigger fish to fry and aren't too keen on Jews anyway.

Tuvia and Zus both lose spouses and family to the Nazis, but their respective grief subsides all too quickly when the next pretty woman catches their eye.    Craig, most famous for playing James Bond of course, is a quietly powerful actor who assumes the leadership of the clan.    Schreiber, most famous for playing Ray Donovan, is a hulking man of bloodlust and action who finds himself naturally at odds with his more diplomatic older brother.    I admired both performances; it is interesting to see two strong men who are on seemingly opposite ends on how to deal with the imposing Nazi threat.  

But, I don't know.    Defiance is a tale in which somebody strikes back against the Nazi machine in the best way they know how, yet it isn't as powerful as you would expect.    I didn't expect Schindler's List or even Inglourious Basterds, but I expected something more.     The film doesn't allow us inside.    We see a group of people who weather the elements and sometimes their own distaste for each other to serve a common good, and they largely succeed, but maybe we needed a Steven Spielberg to tell this story to flesh out all of its power.    Edward Zwick directed Glory, Courage Under Fire, and a host of other films, so he is no doubt very good, but even with his sure-handed guidance, the film lacks.