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
