Defiance

Defiance (2008)

  • 57% of critics liked it
    (178 reviews)

  • 73% of users liked it
    (242,417 ratings)

Inspired by a true story, director Edward Zwick's epic World War II drama Defiance tells the tale of three Jewish Eastern European brothers (Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, and Jamie Bell) who narrowly escape certain death at the hands of the Nazis, subsequently vowing to avenge the deaths of their… More

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R, 2 hr. 16 min.
Directed By
Edward Zwick
Written By
Clayton Frohman, Edward Zwick
Genres
Drama
In Theaters
Jan 16, 2009 Wide
On DVD
Jun 2, 2009
Paramount Vantage

Critic Reviews

  • Ben Lyons, At the Movies

    The way Zwick force-feeds his audience emotion becomes laborious.

  • Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies

    I felt like these characters were prototypes and not people.

  • Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

    As a piece of historical redress, a great service has been done in bringing this narrative to the screen.

  • Peter Howell, Toronto Star

    It's understandable and laudable that they desire not to sensationalize the Bielskis, and they've made a worthy film. But their understated approach makes the struggle seem less urgent than it must surely have been.

  • Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

    It's difficult, perhaps impossible, to make a gripping 137-minute epic about people standing around under the trees.

Read all 18 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Joseph M


    While Defiance has some Brutal Battle scenes and Charismatic performances from Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell it lacks an emotional punch and suffers from a plotless storyline.

  • Albert K


    I wanted to love this movie. The plot, the actors, the setting, all seemed to be the perfect setup for a gripping and dramatic film. Edward Zwick directed this movie and he tends to take sensitive topics and throw in blockbuster action scenes. It almost gave the movie an artificial… More

  • Jens S


    If you were trying to find a way to bash this film you could say that it is about people running and hiding through the same kind of forest for two hours. That would not do the film any justice, of course, even if it is visually somewhat repetitive. The true story of three Belorussian… More

  • Raymond W


    Despite a great and inspiring story, and wonderful actors and director, it's hard to think that Defiance wouldn't be great, but the reality is not quite so positive. The cinematography is extremely gorgeous: shot on location in Lithuania. The actors do a good job (except… More

  • Julie B


    Well acted and interesting. And the dirtier Daniel Craig gets, the bluer his eyes look. Just sayin'.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

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