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Jewish brothers in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe escape into the Belarussian forests, where they join Russian resistance fighters, and endeavor to build a village, in order to protect themselves and about one thousand Jewish non-combatants.

Director:

Edward Zwick

Writers:

Clayton Frohman (screenplay), Edward Zwick (screenplay) | 1 more credit »
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Popularity
2,937 ( 258)
Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Craig ... Tuvia Bielski
Liev Schreiber ... Zus Bielski
Jamie Bell ... Asael Bielski
Alexa Davalos ... Lilka Ticktin
Allan Corduner ... Shimon Haretz
Mark Feuerstein ... Isaac Malbin
Tomas Arana ... Ben Zion Gulkowitz
Jodhi May ... Tamara Skidelsky
Kate Fahy Kate Fahy ... Riva Reich
Iddo Goldberg ... Yitzhak Shulman
Iben Hjejle ... Bella
Martin Hancock ... Peretz Shorshaty
Ravil Isyanov ... Viktor Panchenko
Jacek Koman ... Konstanty 'Koscik' Kozlowski
George MacKay ... Aron Bielski
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Storyline

On the run and hiding in the deep forests of the then German-occupied Poland and Belorussia (World War II), the four Bielski brothers find the impossible task of foraging for food and weapons for their survival. They live, not only with the fear of discovery, contending with neighboring Soviet partisans and knowing whom to trust but also take the responsibility of looking after a large mass of fleeing Polish Jews from the German war machine. Women, men, children, the elderly and the young alike are all hiding in makeshift homes in the dark, cold and unforgiving forests in the darkest times of German-occupied Eastern Europe. Written by Cinema_Fan

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Freedom begins with an act of defiance! See more »


Certificate:

13+ | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was kickstarted several year's earlier when Edward Zwick was given Zus Bielski's (1912 - 1995) obituary to read from the "The New York Times". See more »

Goofs

When Tuvia sees Isaac preparing the grenade to attack the tank, he's clearly saying something before he say's "no", but there is no dialogue heard. See more »

Quotes

Tuvia Bielski: If we should die trying to live, at least we live like human beings.
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Connections

Referenced in The Daily Show: Daniel Craig (2009) See more »

Soundtracks

A Tants Fun Propoisk
Traditional
Arranged by Dmitri Zisl Slepovitch
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User Reviews

The Belorussian band of brothers...
28 December 2009 | by JoeytheBritSee all my reviews

Although I'm not a religious type and know little of any details from the stories of the bible, the parallels this old-fashioned adventure story draws with Moses leading the chosen are unmistakable (although the events depicted here - based on fact, apparently - are on an undeniably smaller scale: instead of a parting of the Red Sea we get a wade through marshland).

Such lofty aspirations leave Ed Zwick's film open to questions about the wisdom of such a decision at best, and ridicule at worst. Needless to say, it's best to take the film's claims of authenticity with a pinch of salt and perhaps to overlook the pretentiousness at its core.

At the end of the day, Defiance is an old-fashioned war film that could easily have been made back in the forties or fifties. The story has been told a thousand times in a thousand different forms, and its' familiarity means the long running time becomes something of a chore. Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber give a good account of themselves as the brothers who find themselves leading a band of Jewish refugees from the Nazis, but the complexities of their relationship are only touched upon, meaning that key moments such as Zus's decision to join the Russian partisans seem to come out of the blue, with no accumulation of incidents to justify his choice.

Most other characters, other than Jamie Bell as the youngest brother, are genre stereotypes: the Jewish teacher, the Jewish intellectual, the stern Russian commander, etc, which lends the entire thing a 'by the numbers' feel that means the audience is never as involved in the refugee's plight as they ought to be. The film has its moments, and often looks beautiful, but you'll watch the end credits with the feeling that you've seen it all before.


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Russian

Release Date:

16 January 2009 (Canada) See more »

Also Known As:

Rébellion See more »

Filming Locations:

Lithuania

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Box Office

Budget:

$32,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$123,513, 4 January 2009

Gross USA:

$28,644,813

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$51,262,751
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (extended)

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Color:

Color | Black and White (archive footage)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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