It amazes me that actor Daniel Craig is getting so much attention as the new James Bond, that his other… and much better... work is getting left in the dust (relatively speaking). Easily the best film of his career, “Defiance” has been getting its fair share of press, but is somehow overshadowed by the more marketable 007. “Defiance” follows the true (or at least as true as Hollywood can get it) exploits of three Jewish brothers who gave their all to aid their fellow Jews during the horrible time of the Nazis. In the aftermath of the death of their family at the hands of the Nazis, Tuvia (Daniel Craig), Zus (Liv Schreiber) and Asael (Jamie Bell) Bielski head into the wilderness to escape the atrocities. Along the way, they meet up with other survivors and they band together to build a community of sorts… and when necessary… fight for their lives.

Division eventually rears its ugly head as Tuvia and Zus find themselves at odds as to whether to fight for survival or for revenge. “Defiance” is a powerful movie of survival under the worst of situations. Facing annihilation by a misguided group of madmen and the harsh and deadly winter weather, these people learn to adapt and unfortunately even find that they too are capable of their own atrocities.

Director Edward Zwick, who has had his share of hits (“Glory”) and misses (“Legends of the Fall”) delivers one of the year’s best films with “Defiance.” It is supported by an incredible cast, most notably Craig and Schreiber, all of whom give career turning performances. Schreiber, whom I’ve always felt was a terribly underrated actor, is absolutely riveting as Zus Bielski and stands toe to toe with Craig with nary a misstep.

The attention to detail, both in terms of storytelling and the overall look of the film, is staggering. I was totally immersed in the film, never once finding myself being taken out of the story. The film’s recent release on Blu-ray offers the opportunity to really appreciate how gorgeous the film looks in all its stark beauty.

While Paramount didn’t add an abundance of extra features, they managed to offer quality over quantity. First off, there is a decent commentary by Zwick. For the most part, he is engaging, but as the movie is over two hours it was obviously difficult for him to keep finding things to talk about. Much better is the ‘Making of’ featurette which delves fairly deep into how the production came about. You’ll also find a featurette focusing on the film’s magnificent score. Best of all, there are two featurettes that allow some of the descendents of the Bielski’s to share the stories that have been handed down.

“Defiance” is a terrific movie, but know that it is not all action packed like some of the trailers might lead you to believe. There are some action sequences to be sure, but a good portion of the film is more about the simple act of survival.

Directed by: Edward Zwick
Starring: Daniel Craig, Liv Schreiber, Jamie Bell, Alexa Davalos
Extras: Commentary by Director Edward Zwick; Defiance: Return to the Forest; Children of the Otriad: The Families Speak; Scoring Defiance; Bielski Survivors
Specifications: Widescreen, English 5.1 Dolby True-HD
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 6/2/2009
MPAA Rating: R
http://www.paramount.com/homeentertainment

We'll give Defiance an A.