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One Reader’s Take On Ed Zwick’s New Film DEFIANCE!!
Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.
I saw this on the closing night of the AFI Fest here in LA, and I’ll have my own review of it soon.
In the meantime, here’s a take from someone who saw it in London, and who seems to have enjoyed quite a bit of it:
Even though awards season has been running for over a month and films are screening every night, this is the first film I’ve seen in ages (apart from the Quantum of Solace premiere which the movie was shite the but party was great)
I really enjoyed this film. I saw it at the private cinema of Computer Effects company Framestore (they won the Oscar for Golden Compass) and the screening was arranged by Bafta.
The film starts with harrowing stock footage of the liquidation of Jews around Belarussia. Its brutal and reminded me of Schindlers List. We then meet the Belski brothers, who are seam to be petty thieves and blackmarketeers.
After their father is murdered they hide out in the forests avoiding capture. On every trip Daniel Craig makes for food – he comes back with more Jews, all terrified, hungry and totally ill-equipped for living in the forest.
Soon there is a whole community. They build makeshift shelters and steal from the villages. Soon the Russian own militia ask for them to hand over their best fighters to help the Russian resistance. Leiv Schreiber and a few go, leaving Daniel Craig and Jamie Bell to run things.
There are lots of ideas in this film.
We learn that the they were shunned by others in the Jewish community before the war – an interesting display of class and now its reversed as the Jews who comprise mostly of Accountants, Scholars and the like need the common sense ingenuity of the Brothers to lead them
“Forrest Wife” – nice idea. Not taken far enough or believable to characters who have suffered such recent and brutal events.
The Jews lynching a captured German soldier was powerful but was a missed opportunity. If the director had shown the actual murder in close up – the kicks, the blood the punches… then it would have been more powerful a statement as anger becomes savagery becomes a group rage. Also the filmmakers cast an Blonde Arian looking actor… easy choice.
I loved the banter between the Rabbi and the Intellectual, often over games of Chess. “Hitler has a beard, Stalin has a bigger Beard, Fascism and Socialism are all the same thing” … “but Roosevelt doesn’t have a beard”
The Russian Resistance respect Leiv Schreiber character because he can fight. But Anti-Semitism is everywhere and soon he has to make some right choices.
Daniel Craig played it good but too often the attempt to humanise the character just came across as annoying as weakness and indecision don’t make for a heroic leading man – especially as that was the template being followed by the filmmakers.
Jamie Bell was the standout performance.
Production Values are strong with solid Production Design, Costume and Make Up – although the Photography, although gorgeous seemed at odds with story. Too were many long lens shots with shallow depth of field where the focus puller wasn’t sure which eye was to be in focus. That style detracted from the intimacy of the story
I also suspect there was a lot of footage cut out. A few characters and several story arcs are quickly resolved instead of played out. I cant remember the running time, and the film did drag in places, but I did want to see more of certain scenes and characters.
Ed Zwick makes these forgettable, but righteous films that have great production values that reek of politically correctness. But “Glory” aside, does anyone still talk about The Siege, or Blood Diamond, or Last Samurai? There is a reason for this. They never go to the depths one needs to make them great. They are never truthful enough, dark enough or brave enough. Just talking about a subject and glossing over it is not enough – they need to be great films and Ed Zwick doesn’t seem to make them that good.
Defiance however is a solid film and if marketed properly could make some reasonable mid level numbers. However it doesn’t deserve nominations and wont be able to capitalise on that box office advantage. As its going up against Valkerie it may the loser in the WW2 Christmas movies.
It’s a Sunday afternoon film. Not Saturday night at the multiplex or midweek at your local art house cinema.
If you use this – call me Tracy Emins Left Tit
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+ Expand All
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Quit messing around with the internet and file something!
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The king of mediocrity!
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and contrived too. I have to say that Legends of the Fall, which Zwick also directed was very good...thought he did an excellent job with that one although I haven't watched it in years.
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That was hilarious! What a name.
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But I do dig Zwick.
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THE LAST GENTILE
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Nov 24, 2008 10:07:51 PM CST
"Ed Zwick makes these forgettable, but righteous films"
by bringingsexyback
Fuck your mother. Blood Diamond should've won the Oscar over The Departed. And The Last Samurai might be a overly-contrived, but was still a great movie with a powerful message. Fuck your mother.
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..but they do lack a certain punch. I agree with the reviewer. Spielberg films are beautifully shot AND they show the carnage/brutality of war (Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan & Munich are prime examples). Zwick is like Spielberg light.
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is a pretty kick ass movie. I'm a little surprised how little love it has received.
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I mean, there was a lot of arm chopping and shit. Think about that the next time you see a piece of jewelry.
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Fuck you DeBeers!!
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My friends and I watch it on a regular basis, great movie. Leo and Djimon are terrific. And I enjoyed The Last Samurai for the most part - "Dances With Wolves in Japan" is right though!
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It screened on the Paramount lot over the weekend. I was there myself and it's my pick for the Best Picture winner @ the Oscars.
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... and thorough movie that I've seen was About Last Night. Says it all really. Legends of the go Fuck yourself.
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I'm totally down for this movie. It sort of sells itself: Bond killing Nazi's. Done deal.
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where is YOUR Benjamin Button review? hell, I saw Transformers on the Paramount lot, and even though it was like trying to chew a turd, I still wrote it up for AICN. now go do it, it's your duty, sir.
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That's the first movie I ever took Leo serious in.
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Blood Diamond was an action movie that had a higher body count and more explosions than all 4 Rambo movies (and it was about as realistic), yet it wanted to be a movie that showed how valuable human life is. The Last Samurai was laughable. Glory was great though.
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wouldnt that make sense if it said mustache instead? fuck just for that stupid line i hope the intellectual/rabbi get gangraped beaten and executed by some soldiers.
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I suck at writing reviews, it'd be like reading a Harry Knowles review without the irrelevant pre-movie stories and the chocolate covered pussyjuice superlatives
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The Variety review summed up how I feel about that movie to a T.
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Are magnificent. And both are highly talented. I hear the left one does movie reviews, too - gotta love a pair of norks with that much skill. Not much love for this reviewer, though...might have guessed he was a right tit. Ba-dam-dam-tisssshh. I thank you...
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'...Like salieri'. Very funny - thanks for the morning laugh. But to be fair, i think Blood Diamond is a great movie - underrated.
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enjoyed the siege and Glory as well. But his films aren't as profound or moving as they like to think they are. Furthermore the old salieri comparison cannot be employed without relating Amadeus to a similar but far superior director.
Tracy Emin's left tit is a fantastic username!
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Why would you even mention that smelly junkie hack slut bitch?
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was a fucking travelogue of "messages" shoehorned into an action film to make it palatable to the masses. Oh, see what's happening to these poor people over here? And in between messages, we'll truck out a politico love interest that will brow beat you with a diatribe explaining and campaigning for each message, in case you're a bit thick and need help getting the point. And we'll tidy all that up with a nice little bow at the end when the nice african man gets to cash in his diamond. Because we all know how you just love a happy ending. And it helps you go back to your pampered lives feeling good that he now gets to enjoy the same kind of happiness you do.
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... and DAMN THAT MCMXLVII GUY
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Is that you reviewing that film?
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