Defiance

Better than average (2010-02-25) Rating: 4/5
While it is certainly not a perfect film, I can't understand why so many critics didn't care for "Defiance". It's well acted, has a gritty feel all its own, and makes one think about what it means to be human in terrible circumstances. Those who like suspenseful World War II films should have a great time with this.
gripping story, well-filmed (2010-02-06) Rating: 5/5
excellent movie, I wonder why I didn't hear of it soooner. I must admit I haven't seen Schindler's List (nor others about the Holocaust) but the perspective of this one intrigued me. Daniel Craig & Liev Schreiber were great. Some reviewers commented that the lead & supporting characters were under-developed. To them I'd say bring a little more imagination to your film-viewing.
Excellent & Haunting (2010-01-26) Rating: 4/5
I was completely unaware of this chapter of WWII history.

Having recently watched this movie with my 14-year old son, I found it quite moving. My son is in a 'guns-are-awesome' period, and I think this movie (thankfully) put a slight damper on his ardor. For me, I haven't been this haunted by a movie since I saw "Platoon" in college in the late '80's. (Not a bad thing to be haunted by a movie, methinks.)

While I'm sure this movie is far from accurate (the final scene with the tank was a bit over-the-top), the gift this movie gives is bringing the story of these Polish survivors to the world. The acting was first rate ... I very much enjoyed watching the brothers interact with each other. Hollywood machismo was (happily!) tossed aside here. These brothers struggle, cry, disagree, reunite, fight, embrace and kiss.

How wonderful to see movie stars act like real men for a change. Daniel Craig, for instance, was so much more three dimensional in this movie than in any of his Bond films (films which are fun to watch when you're in the mood for such things. They are just more 2 dimensional).

I think this would be an excellent film for college and groups for discussion of community and honor and right choices ... and so much more. My son and I watched this movie on DVD. There were several places where we stopped the movie and had interesting, "Ok, you are Tuvia. What would you do right now?" conversations. (My son puts up with a lot from me. ;-D)

I certainly intend on reading the book to learn more about these brave people who lived in the woods for over 2 years to escape the horrors of the Holocaust.

Highly recommended.
Amazing story (2010-01-21) Rating: 5/5

They did an excellent job with this movie, the acting, production, directing. The DVD was interesting because it showed in the special features the ancestors that are the product of their will to survive.
AWESOME! (2010-01-12) Rating: 5/5
This movie was amazing! Such a great history lesson. Why weren't we taught about this in school? Watching this type of movie reminds me how fortunate I am to have the petty problems I have!

If you want to watch something worth your time and like to be educated, this movie won't disappoint.