Defiance

Defiance is a rare example of an otherwise well made movie that will have more than its fair share of detractors. The reason is simple. Director Ed Zwick keeps the narrative so linear and efficient that while it will appeal to a history channel buff like me, it will fail to touch the hearts of those who want a little more heart (drama if you will) in their movies. An amazing true story of the Bielski brothers, which Liev Schreiber and Daniel Craig have done full justice to, is unfortunately let down by a script that runs like yet another history lesson.
However, because the script is so strong, the movie never falls flat. When the two brothers return to their family house in Belorussia, to find that the Nazis have murdered their parents, they flee to the woods with their younger brother Asael. After killing the Nazi officer on whose orders their parents were murdered, the two brothers take the vow of always living nobly and helping others who can’t help themselves. Before long, they establish a camp in the forest, which becomes a haven for Jewish refugees. The brothers Tuvia and Zus struggling with their rivalries manage the camp well. Zus being the tougher of the two starts guerrilla warfare of sorts by raiding nearby hamlets for food and supplies and commanding the occasional scuffles with the Nazis. Tuvia on the other hand is responsible for maintaining law and order in the Establishment. After the climatic battle that takes place between the Nazis and the rebels, the two brothers move to New York and start a business. But all of this is told in the end title.
If the director had made the postscript a part of the movie, then the total effect would have been that much stronger.