CINEMA: Defiance

From Bond to gritty resistance fighter, Daniel Craig’s steely blue gaze and chiselled jaw serve him well as a man of courageous acts yet few words. Here he stars in an amazing true story of valour and resilience as one of three Eastern European Jewish brothers who managed to keep hundreds of their fellow Jews alive during the Nazi reign of terror by hiding them deep in the woods, far from prying eyes.

Tuvia (Craig), Zus (Liev Schrieber) and Asael (Jamie Bell) are reluctant saviours – at first they hide in the woods after their farm is attacked and their parents killed. But as more displaced Jews join them they realise in order to survive they must build a community and all work together for the common good. Scavenging for food, putting their skills to good use and building a village underground they manage to evade their tormentors and even find love with their ‘forest’ wives.

The look of the film, all cold blues and muted browns, gives a feel of the raw elements these people are subjected to after they have lost their homes and loved ones, while director Edward Zwick deals with a lot of big issues –vengeance, race, family, greed, desperation – with little dialogue, letting actions speak louder than words.

Although Craig and Schrieber are well matched as the older brothers it is Jamie Bell who really shines here, his Asael is a mix of burning anger and frustration at his own inability to change the world order. This is a very human story, told simply but incredibly touching in its exploration of the better aspects of human nature coming to the fore in times of great distress.       Dee Pilgrim