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"Defiance" is based on the true story of a group of Jews in Belarus who successfully defied the Nazis, hid in the forest and maintained a self-contained society while losing only about 50 of their some 1,200 members. The "Bielski Partisans" represented the war's largest and most successful group of Jewish resisters, although when filmmakers arrived on the actual locations to film the story, they found no local memory of their activities, and, for many reasons, hardly any Jews. Edward Zwick's film shows how they survived, governed themselves, faced ethical questions and how their stories can be suited to the requirements of melodrama.

The story of "Defiance" has all the makings of a deep emotional experience, but I found myself oddly detached. Perhaps that's because most of the action and principal characters are within the group. The Nazis are seen in large part as an ominous threat out there somewhere in the forest, like "Those We Don't Speak Of" in M. Night Shyamalan's " The Village ." Do I require a major Nazi speaking part for the film to work? No, but the drama tends to focus on issues, conflicts and romances within the group, and in that sense could be a very good reality show but lacks the larger dimension of, say, " Schindler's List ."

What the film comes down to is a forest survival story, with a few scenes of Nazis trying to find and to destroy them and a few battle scenes that furnish the trailer and promise more of an action film. The survival story may contain omens for our own time. In the most fearsome of future scenarios, we may all have to survive in the wilderness, and we should be so lucky to have the Bielski brothers to help us. They were farmers, strong, fierce, skilled in survival skills, pragmatic.

The brothers are Tuvia Bielski ( Daniel Craig ), Zus Bielski ( Liev Schreiber ) and Asael ( Jamie Bell ). After they flee from genocide into the forest, others come hoping to join them, and word of their encampment spreads through the refugee underground. Tuvia decides early on that they must take in all Jews, even the helpless ones who cannot contribute; Zus, a firebrand, is less interested in saving Jews than killing Nazis, which he reasons will save more Jews. This conflict -- between helping our side or harming theirs -- is seen even today in the controversy over the invasion of Gaza, with Israel playing the role of the Bielski settlement.

The refugees sort out into leadership and support roles, feed their growing group largely by stealing food, establish such institutions as a hospital, a court, even a tannery. Romance blossoms, which is common in life but indispensable in a movie, and there are tender scenes which are awfully warmly lit and softly scored, under the circumstances. Craig and Schreiber bring conviction to their roles, differing so sharply that they even come to blows before the younger brother leaves to join the Russians (who hate Jews every bit as much as the Nazis do).

Early in the film, there's a scene where a feckless middle-aged man named Shimon Haretz ( Allan Corduner ) hopes to join the group and is asked what he does. He thinks maybe he's ... an intellectual. This is no use to the partisans, although he is allowed to stay. At the time of the story, the region was largely agrarian and peasant, and many were skilled craftsmen, artisans and laborers. I thought, I'm also an ... intellectual. Of what use would I be in the forest? The film works in a way as a cautionary tale. Most of us live in a precarious balance above the bedrock of physical labor. Someday we may all be Shimon Haretz.

The best performance, because it's more nuanced, is by Liev Schreiber. His Zus Bielski is more concerned with the big picture, more ideological, more driven by tactics. Daniel Craig is very effective as Tuvia, the group leader, but his character, perhaps of necessity, is concerned primarily with the organization, discipline and planning of the group. A farmer, he becomes an administrator, chief authority and court of last resort.

As a Nazi observes, not without admiration, the Bielskis set up a self-sustaining village in the wilderness. Their situation is more precarious because they are surrounded by anti-Semites not only from Germany but from Russia and Poland. They cooperate with Soviet forces out of necessity, but cannot delude themselves. Their efforts prevailed, and today there are thousands who would not have been born if they had not succeeded.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film credits.

Defiance (2009)

Rated R for violence and brief language

137 minutes

Allan Corduner as Shimon Haretz

Alexa Davalos as Lilka

Daniel Craig as Tuvia Bielski

Liev Schreiber as Zus Bielski

Jamie Bell as Asael Bielski

Directed by

Edward Zwick
Clayton Frohman

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Brave brothers risk all in brutal, graphic WWII epic.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Classic good-versus-evil situations. Bravery and s

Most of the characters aren't clearly "good" or "b

Violent battle scenes from beginning to end. Piles

A man's hand touches a woman's breast over her clo

Harsh swearing throughout, including all forms of

Multiple scenes of Russian soldiers, victims, surv

Positive Messages

Classic good-versus-evil situations. Bravery and selflessness are shown to be powerful forces against the enemy. Meanwhile, the Nazis wreak havoc on the Polish Jews -- rounding them up, killing them, bombing them, and spraying bullets into large groups of people (including women and children).

Positive Role Models

Most of the characters aren't clearly "good" or "bad." For instance, Russian soldiers are shown to be heroic but also anti-Semitic. And the Jewish victims who fight back are shown to be both honorable and selfish, just and unjust.

Violence & Scariness

Violent battle scenes from beginning to end. Piles of naked bodies lie in a dry river bed; babies and children are wrenched from parents' arms and slaughtered; bombs are dropped on fleeing victims. There are many instances of cold-blooded, point-blank shooting, including the execution of entire families. There are also vicious fist fights, stabbings, and a lengthy scene in which an angry mob beats and stomps a Nazi soldier to death.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A man's hand touches a woman's breast over her clothes. Several passionate kisses. One couple is shown embracing, with their bare shoulders visible above blankets to indicate a post-sexual moment.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Harsh swearing throughout, including all forms of "f--k" and many instances of "s--t," "bitch, " and "hell."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Multiple scenes of Russian soldiers, victims, survivors, and partisans drinking vodka. One leading character drinks heavily. Several scenes in which men drink until they become very drunk. Camaraderie inspired by drunkenness appears to be the only form of recreation available to these people who are hiding out for years.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this war movie isn't for kids. There are many fierce battles and violently graphic killings, as well as executions of unarmed citizens. Other images include hand-to-hand combat, mob beatings, point-blank shootings, and barbaric, inhumane treatment of the Jewish population. The language is very strong as well, with lots of harsh swearing. There's some suggested sexuality, but nothing explicit and no nudity. Soldiers and resistance members drink vodka in many scenes, sometimes to excess. But if they can handle the intense content, this movie could offer mature teens and young adults a valuable look at a momentous period of recent world history and a vivid example of heroism -- as well as power and prejudice run amok. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Parents say (6)
Kids say (13)

Based on 6 parent reviews

Violence is not the main message

What's the story.

At the height of the Nazi occupation of Poland, three Jewish brothers find their family slaughtered and other Jews being rounded up in the countryside -- with mass killings or extermination camps their sure fate. The brothers escape into the dense Belarussian forest; on the way, eldest brother Tuvia Bielski ( Daniel Craig ) comes to the rescue of a small group of terrified Jews on the run. The refugees follow the brothers into the forest, against the better judgment of volatile middle brother Zus ( Liev Schreiber ), who's certain that their presence will make them all more vulnerable. With Tuvia's help, more and more displaced Jews find their way to the constantly moving Bielski encampment, and a fragile community is established. Some of the able-bodied join forces with the Russian resistance, while others remain with Tuvia, fighting the Nazis and disrupting their brutal purpose. Lives are lost; relationships are built; bravery and sacrifice are rewarded.

Is It Any Good?

Edward Zwick wants to make passionate movies, and DEFIANCE is no exception. The story of a Jewish arm of the Resistance hasn't been told before, not like this. The film is exciting, shot with skill and a singular ability to show the harrowing savagery and heroic behavior that lived and breathed in the early 1940s.

Defiance is less successful when it zeroes in on the stories of the individual people who make up the refugee community. Then the filmmakers rely on certain stereotypes: the intellectual chess players, the leering hothead, the sibling rivalry. Still, it's well worth seeing, if only as an important reminder of where the world has been and how much care must be taken never to return there.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about why so many movies about World War II and the Holocaust are still being made so long after the events occurred. What connection do stories about these events have with today's world?

Are there still instances in which strong beliefs set people apart and against one another? How do you think the media will end up treating current conflicts further down the line?

Why do you think the Bielski brothers were heroic? What made them different from the people who were afraid to stand up for themselves?

Movie Details

In theaters : December 31, 2008
On DVD or streaming : June 1, 2009
Cast : Daniel Craig , Jamie Bell , Liev Schreiber
Director : Edward Zwick
Studio : Paramount Vantage
Genre : Drama
Run time : 137 minutes
MPAA rating : R
MPAA explanation : violence and language
Last updated : July 17, 2023

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Den of Geek

Defiance film review

Daniel Craig leaps from the world of Bond to Ed Zwick's latest. And Lucy, contrary to many, is really rather taken with Defiance...

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After seeing trailers for Defiance , I was keen to see it. I’ve always been interested in the history and stories of World War II and as this film was based on true events during Nazi occupation, the base was there for a potentially gripping film.

Starring Daniel Craig and Jamie Bell, Defiance is set in Eastern Europe in 1941. Adolf Hitler is fully behind his plan to eradicate all Jews, and for all accounts, his plan is working. Thousands and thousands are massacred daily, either gassed or forced to dig ditches to bury the dead and then shot – the force of the bullets propelling them into the very holes they’ve just created.

On arriving at their parents’ farm, brothers Zus (Liev Schreiber) and Asael Bielski (Jamie Bell) find their mother and father slaughtered at the hands of the Nazis. Fearing also for the life of their youngest brother Aron (George MacKay), they search the grounds and mercifully find him hiding underneath some floorboards in an outhouse. Knowing that the Nazis will come back to the farm to try and find the family members they did not kill the first time, the Bielskis gather what belongings they can and disappear into the Belarussian forests.

Soon, though, they are confronted by a welcome face. Tuvia (Daniel Craig), the oldest Bielski brother, is travelling through the woods and discovers his brothers sleeping rough amongst the trees. They have an emotional reunion in the woods, made more overwhelming by the fact the others have to break the news to Tuvia that their parents are dead, murdered by order of the Nazis.

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They know they cannot go back to their village as they will be hunted down like dogs, so decide that their only choice is to hide in the woods. It soon becomes apparent, though, that they are not the only ones that have had this idea. They come across more and more groups of Polish Jews hiding in the forest, desperate not to be herded into ghettos, or worse, concentration camps. They know if they are caught their chances of survival are slim, but living in the forest is difficult with little food and shelter.

After murdering the officer that commanded his parents’ death, Tuvia doesn’t feel much better. He realises that the best way to get revenge on Hitler and his cronies is simply to survive. Tuvia forms the Bielski Otriad, a group of partisans. They begin to live together as a community – foraging for food, building shelter and acquiring weapons. They also liberate some of their brethren from the ghettos and reunite separated families. Their group grows and grows, giving them strength, but also making them more difficult to hide.

What follows is the tale of how a determined band of brothers gather and protect over 1,000 persecuted Jews and emerge from the Belarussian forest three years later.

Defiance is, in spite of what many critics seem to be saying, a gripping film. You are drawn in immediately by genuine footage from the war, which serves to remind you that what you are about to watch really happened. The story was filmed on location in Lithuania, providing stunning backdrops to what is an enthralling story.

Daniel Craig, Jamie Bell and the relative unknowns Liev Schreiber and George MacKay all shine in this film. They do a grand job of portraying the Bielski brothers and the violent range of emotions they must have been feeling as their lives were turned upside down. I was glued to the screen, and really got caught up in the emotions of the story. After all, this really happened. People were given no choice but to run for their lives – or face Nazi concentration camps and firing squads.

Overall, I recommend checking this out, particularly if you have an interest in the period. It’s a touching story and does a very good job of bringing the brave actions of the brothers before the eyes of the world.

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28 January 2009

Lucy Felthouse

Defiance Review

09 Jan 2009

136 minutes

Harvey Weinstein has long talked of directing the story of the Warsaw uprising, when ghettoised Jews fought back against the Nazis. Knocked Up’s Ben Stone extolled the virtues of the top-shot Jews of Munich: “Dude, every movie with Jews, we’re the ones getting killed. Munich flips it on its ear. We cappin’ motherfuckers!” Yes, Jews are often victims on film, but Munich’s Daniel Craig is back cappin’ in Defiance, leading a ragtag partisan force against the invading Nazis. “Jews do not fight,” says an incredulous Red Army officer. “These Jews do,” comes Craig’s reply. Woo-hoo! Lock ’n’ load! Passover this, asshole!

Of course, this being an Edward Zwick picture, Defiance is actually Very Serious. And, in fairness, it has a serious story to tell: of remarkable endurance, courage and unlikely hope. The pity is that despite its authentic origin — adapted from historian Nechama Tec’s non-fiction account — the film feels second-hand. It is caringly crafted, sincere and admirable, but while the facts are fresh, the execution is over-familiar.

From Force 10 From Navarone to Schindler’s List to Braveheart (in a particularly ill-advised oratory on horseback), Defiance is defiantly A Movie: efficient and reductionist. You can hear the machinery of the screenplay creaking as subplots and characters — or, really, types (PHILOSOPHER, INTELLECTUAL, BASTARD) — emerge. That Craig’s reluctant-but-flinty heroism barely avoids being one-note is down to the part as much as the performance, while Liev Schreiber acts as if he is carrying the responsibilities of God on his bear-like shoulders. The pair embody contrasting views of resistance — survival and vengeance — but there is little there to suggest the warmth of real family, with a fine Jamie Bell only a little better served as the youngster caught between them.

Zwick is a sturdy, competent director, with an eye for action and an honourable desire to illuminate long-shadowed stories. But his work often feels clenched with a sense of its own importance. Defiance, like Blood Diamond, is as much education as entertainment, and until he falls in love with people as much as issues, he will remain undone by his desire to make a difference.

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DVD & Streaming
Action/Adventure , Drama , War

Content Caution

In Theaters

Daniel Craig as Tuvia Bielski; Liev Schreiber as Zus Bielski; Jamie Bell as Asael Bielski; George MacKay as Aron Bielski; Alexa Davalos as Lilka Ticktin

Home Release Date

Edward Zwick

Distributor

Paramount Vantage

Movie Review

In 1941, Hitler began the systematic slaughter of Poland’s Jewish citizens. But brothers Tuvia and Zus Bielski refused to submit to that fate. When their village is sacked and their parents murdered by Polish police working for the Nazis, the brothers gather their two younger siblings and hide in the nearby Belorussian forest. From that leafy shelter they plot to strike back against their enemies—a story of defiance based on real events.

Tuvia tracks down and executes his parents’ killers, then realizes he has no taste for revenge. His true passion lies in somehow saving the other Jews crying out for protection. Soon he dedicates himself to the growing number of refugees who find their way to the Bielskis’ wooded hideaway.

Zus is all for saving lives. But he grows impatient with his older brother’s penchant for placing others’ needs above their own and soon heads off to join a band of heavily armed Russian partisans.

Tuvia, for his part, remains convinced that if the struggling Jews are to survive, they must endure. Fighting when they must. Hiding when they can. But always clinging to the things that give them hope. “We may be hunted like animals, ” he says. “But we will not become animals.”

His resolve—and that of all the Jewish refugees in his care—will be severely tested.

Positive Elements

The Bielski brothers—particularly Tuvia—risk life and limb to protect as many Jewish survivors as possible. One bold gambit involves rescuing hundreds from a prison-like Jewish ghetto.

Tuvia hunts down the officer who killed his parents, shooting the man and his two sons. But he’s shaken to his core by what he’s done and later declares that he can’t get the men’s faces out of his mind. The damage that’s been done to his soul prompts him to radically alter his stance.

Tuvia insists that the forest community should try to survive without killing. “We cannot afford revenge,” he says. “Our revenge is to live.” Tuvia tells the people that they should not sink to the level of their tormentors. “Every day of freedom is like an act of faith,” he says. “And if we should die while trying to live, then at least we will die like human beings.” The Jews largely survive by taking food from nearby farms. But even in this, Tuvia suggests a guiding ethic: “We will take only from those who can afford to give. Leave those who can’t alone. We are not thieves or murderers.”

Because of harsh living conditions, Tuvia declares that there will be no pregnancies—implying that sexual contact is off limits. So when the victim of a German soldier’s rape gives birth, he’s initially furious and says that the couple will need to leave their community. But a woman with whom Tuvia has fallen in love, Lilka, informs him of the circumstances and reminds him of his pledge not to “be like animals.” She says, “What better way than to bring a life into this place of suffering and death?” The film’s conclusion informs us more babies were ultimately born than the number of community members who died in the years of the group’s forest exile.

Zus doesn’t share Tuvia’s idealistic values. Still, he has several moments of heroism. He risks his life to secure much-needed antibiotics from a German base. And though he initially rejects his Jewish roots in favor of the Russians’ more violent mode of operation, he eventually reaffirms his identity as a Jew and as Tuvia’s brother.

Spiritual Elements

Many of the Jews in Tuvia’s care make references to Old Testament characters (such as Sampson and Ehud) and events (David’s battle with Goliath). There are repeated references to Moses leading God’s people out of Egypt, and it becomes clear that Tuvia himself parallels the great Israelite leader (“So now you are Moses,” Zus says). Like Moses, Tuvia is a reluctant leader who struggles with doubt.

Similarities to Moses and the Exodus account are further highlighted when Tuvia and his people are fleeing and find themselves hemmed in by a vast bog that they must summon the courage to cross. But in this case, Tuvia’s younger brother Asael says of the task, “God will not part the water; we will have to do it ourselves.”

A rabbi repeatedly talks of how the events he’s witnessed have badly shaken his faith in God. While leading a prayer, he laments the loss of life and asks God to “choose another people” and to “take back the gift of our holiness.” Amid those doubts, though, he voices his belief that God will protect the community, telling a group of children, “Trust in God, He will take care of you.” In the end, he calls Tuvia to his side and says that he believes that God sent him. “I almost lost my faith, but you were sent by God to save us. I thank Him. And I thank you.”

During a wedding, the rabbi says, “Blessed art thou our God, king of the universe.” After several of the refugees are killed, the group gathers to pray. We also hear several references to the long-awaited Messiah.

Tuvia honors a Christian who’s died for harboring Jews by marking his burial place with a makeshift cross. As they attack and kill a group of German soldiers, Zus tells Tuvia, “This is God’s work you’re doing.” A Russian leader mockingly calls Tuvia a “Hebrew warrior.”

Sexual Content

References are made to “forest wives” and “forest husbands,” implying that marriage-like unions have formed in the community. Tuvia and Lilka eventually become such a couple. They lie naked in each other’s arms (we see bare shoulders and legs) beneath a shared coat.

A woman named Bella falls for Zus. She symbolically asks for his protection by taking his hand and placing it on her breast beneath her coat (but over her shirt). Similarly, another woman offers herself (“I’ll do anything you want”) to the younger Bielski brother, Asael, if he can help rescue her parents. (He helps without taking her up on her offer.)

A group of women are shown washing themselves while standing in a stream. (Some show cleavage, but they are dressed in slips and body-hugging undergarments.)

Violent Content

Defiance commences with black-and-white vintage film clips of German soldiers shooting, beating and manhandling Jewish prisoners. We then glimpse everything from vigilantes shooting a farmer in the head and throwing him on a burning truck, to armed combatants in heavy-action firefights, to overhead bombers blowing up innocents. Blood splatters onto the scenery with gruesome regularity.

In most of their engagements against the Germans, Tuvia and his people are on the defensive. Once, however, Tuvia, Zus and a few others actively ambush several Germans. Zus, especially, relishes unloading his machine gun into the unsuspecting victims, including the wife of an officer. Elsewhere, Zus casually walks up behind a group of German soldiers (who have surrendered and are on their knees) and shoots each in the head.

After killing the policeman responsible for his parents’ murder, Tuvia arguably exercises restraint by not killing the man’s wife (even though she begs him to do so). Other times, however, the film implies that such restraint is beyond his ability. Despite his commitment to avoid violence, Tuvia must confront a mutinous, rebellious community member who refuses to submit to rules, who misappropriates food and who brazenly undermines Tuvia’s authority. In a shocking confrontation, Tuvia unexpectedly shoots and kills him in front of everyone in the forest village.

Another wrenching scene involves a captured German soldier who’s pleading for mercy. He tells the gathered group that he has a wife and children—which only serves to stoke their fury further. Fists and savage kicks soon turn to beatings with butts of guns as men and women cry “Justice!” and take turns pummeling him (we don’t see the guns’ impact) as they say the names of lost family members. Tuvia watches in anguish and seeming indecision, and he ultimately decides not to halt what amounts to a community execution.

Crude or Profane Language

The s-word is spit out at least 15 times and the f-word five times (including some subtitled usages). There are several instances of “b–ch” and one of “a–,” as well as crude slang for the male anatomy. God’s name is misused twice.

Drug and Alcohol Content

Vodka flows like water. In fact, to be honest, I don’t remember anyone drinking any water. Just about everyone—men, women, a teen, soldiers and teachers of the Torah—tip the bottle. We even see Tuvia’s refugees concocting a makeshift vodka still. In one scene, two Russian commanders are quite drunk. German and Russian soldiers smoke cigarettes.

Other Negative Elements

A German soldier urinates unknowingly on Zus, who is hiding in a bush. Polish police make crude jokes about hunting down Jews for the Nazis, and one mentions that they’re paid 500 rubles per person captured or killed.

Based on historical events, Defiance is many things: It’s the story of rough-edged, ordinary men who have the responsibility for more than a thousand people thrust upon them. It’s a tale of bravery, dogged perseverance and an unwavering desire to save others that parallels the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. Finally, it’s a Holocaust story that was virtually unknown until Tuvia Bielski revealed its details shortly before his death in 1973.

For all those positives, this is also a realistic war film filled with blood-spewing gun battles, execution-style head shots, mangled innocents, revenge killings, flesh-withering starvation and obliterating explosions. Obscenities frequently cut through the dialogue.

In the course of these visceral events, even the “good guys” are forced into quandaries that raise hard questions. Should Tuvia have shot the man questioning his authority? Were there any other alternatives? Should he have allowed people to beat a defenseless German to death in the name of “justice”? The film doesn’t answer these ethical conundrums. Instead, it prompts us to ponder what we might do in a similar situation.

Which seems to be exactly what writer/director Edward Zwick intended. “In the interest of survival [the film’s heroes] may cross lines even into the emulation of their tormentor,” Zwick told beliefnet.com . “For me, that made it more heroic because it made it more believable.”

The result is a movie that broadly echoes the themes of heroism and brutality found in Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan . The violence in Defiance isn’t quite as graphic as the imagery in those two films. (Nor is the delivery of this remarkable true story quite as emotionally compelling as Steven Spielberg’s World War II epics.) But it is, like they are, gritty, grim … and inspiring. It’s a tale of suffering people who lash out and fail and flail, but refuse to easily relinquish their faith or their humanity.

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

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Directed by Edward Zwick

Freedom begins with an act of defiance

Based on a true story, during World War II, four Jewish brothers escape their Nazi-occupied homeland of West Belarus in Poland and join the Soviet partisans to combat the Nazis. The brothers begin the rescue of roughly 1,200 Jews still trapped in the ghettos of Poland.

Daniel Craig Liev Schreiber Jamie Bell Alexa Davalos Allan Corduner Mark Feuerstein Tomas Arana Jodhi May Kate Fahy Iddo Goldberg Iben Hjejle Martin Hancock Ravil Isyanov Jacek Koman George MacKay Jonjo O'Neill Sam Spruell Mia Wasikowska Mark Margolis Markus von Lingen Rolandas Boravskis Algirdas Dainavičius Aurelija Prasmuntaite Ina Frismanaite Ana Goldberg Leonardas Pobedonoscevas Kristina Bertasiute Kristina Skokova Remigijus Bilinskas Show All… Rimgaudas Karvelis Janina Matekonytė Leonas Ciunis Aleksandr Zila Iveta Nadzeikiene Clayton Frohman Marc Levy Zoe Rosenblum Sakalas Uždavinys Saulius Janavicius Leonidas Kotikas Dalia Smalskiene Tadas Kavaliauskas Matas Cancingeris Diana Aneviciute Sigitas Račkys Vaidas Kublinkas Valentin Novopolskij Dalia Michelevičiūtė Ervinas Peteraitis Dmitrij Denisiuk Antanas Šurna Dalius Mertinas Vaidotas Martinaitis Aldona Bendoriute Darius Gumauskas Irmantas Bačelis Edita Užaitė Jordan Bielsky Gediminas Girdvainis Stanislav Adamickij Klemens Becker Jonas Tamulevicius Jaroslav Pšenička Jolanta Dapkūnaitė Miroslav Lhotka Giacomo Strasser Mac Steinmeier Dmitrti Slepovitch Arkadij Gotesman Borisas Kirzeneris Raimondas Sviackevicius Vidas Petkevičius Rimantė Valiukaitė

Director Director

Edward Zwick

Producers Producers

Edward Zwick Pieter Jan Brugge

Writers Writers

Edward Zwick Clayton Frohman

Original Writer Original Writer

Nechama Tec

Casting Casting

Victoria Thomas Gail Stevens Tony Luckwill Yesi Ramirez Kelly Valentine Hendry

Editor Editor

Steven Rosenblum

Cinematography Cinematography

Eduardo Serra

Lighting Lighting

Michel Atanassian

Camera Operators Camera Operators

Klemens Becker Mike Proudfoot

Additional Photography Add. Photography

Bo B. Randulff Berto

Production Design Production Design

Art direction art direction.

Yann Biquand Daran Fulham

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Véronique Melery

Visual Effects Visual Effects

Catherine Sudolcan William Mesa Emily Wallin

Stunts Stunts

Steve Griffin

Composer Composer

James Newton Howard

Sound Sound

Andy Nelson Jon Title Lon Bender Randy Kelley James Moriana Anna Behlmer Diane Marshall Nerses Gezalyan Jeffrey Wilhoit Brett Voss Petur Hliddal

Costume Design Costume Design

Jenny Beavan

Makeup Makeup

Felicity Wright

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Kristie Matthiae Lizzie Lawson Trefor Proud

Paramount Vantage Grosvenor Park Productions Bedford Falls Company, The Defiance Productions Pistachio Pictures

Primary Language

Spoken languages.

German Russian English

Releases by Date

31 dec 2008, 08 jan 2009, 09 jan 2009, 14 jan 2009, 23 jan 2009, 14 feb 2009, 03 apr 2009, 22 apr 2009, 19 sep 2009, 26 feb 2009, 24 apr 2009, 21 aug 2009, 26 aug 2009, 21 apr 2011, releases by country.

Theatrical M
Theatrical 12

Netherlands

Theatrical 16
Physical 16 Blu ray
Physical 16 DVD
TV 16 RTL 7
Theatrical 15

South Korea

Theatrical 15세 이상 관람가

Switzerland

Theatrical R

137 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Anna Imhof 🌸 ★★★½ 7

Just when I thought Daniel Craig couldn’t get any sexier, he starts to speak Russian.

Review by Travis Lytle ★★★★ 1

With "Defiance," Edward Zwick assembles the type of film that has become his stock in trade: a rousing, emotionally alive story about war and its effects on those fighting it. Zwick weaves together humanity and explosive spectacle, and, though "Defiance" is not as passionate and exhilarating as "Legends of the Fall," "Glory," or "The Last Samurai," it is a memorable and impactful piece of work.

Focusing on four Jewish brothers who work to smuggle Belorussian Jews to safety in 1941, the film details the hardships, fighting, and personal dramas that took place in and around makeshift camps built in the Eastern European woods. Zwick puts a narrative premium both on gritty violence and human hearts, and, here, he succeeds in…

Review by MrPPeeps ★★★½

"Defiance" is a gripping World War II drama that tells the incredible true story of the Bielski brothers, played brilliantly by Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, and a young George MacKay, who selflessly led a group of Jewish refugees to safety in the Belarusian forests. The film features terrific performances, great characters, and strong writing. My only real gripe is that, despite the powerful and emotional story being depicted, the film doesn't quite convey that emotion as effectively as it should.

However, It's still an interesting and entertaining war film that I recommend checking out if you get the chance.

My Last Review: | Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes |

Review by Matt LaFemina ★★★½

A great story with a loaded cast that has some powerful moments but also underwhelms in aspects. At its core, the connection between the brothers and how they are trying to save hundreds while also looking out for themselves and each other is very intriguing. I started to lose interest as it delved a bit into Fiddler on the Roof territory with forest wives for each of the brothers. There were many points in the film where I felt that Defiance didn’t exactly know what it wanted to be. Still, as with any film dealing with the atrocities of the Holocaust, it is powerful and will certainly leave an emotional impact.

Review by 🤎jess🤎 ★★★ 1

daniel craig, jamie bell, baby george mackay, mia wasikowska, liev schreiber need i say more???

Review by Reznikov🔥 ★★★★½ 1

Sledgehammer performance from Daniel Craig! Loved this film a lot!

Review by Jordan Beaumont Anderson ★★½ 1

A local theater had a giant cardboard diorama thing for this. An eight-foot tall Daniel Craig, gun in hand, eyes a piercing blue, backlit heroically. They didn't quite have the room to fit a titanic papercraft between the bathroom entrances, so they squished the marketing altar and a 200-gallon waste bin together. It worked great, but the title's "De" was totally obscured.

So there stood Daniel. Triumphant and gleaming. Fiance.

Review by Mos Co ★★½ 3

I watched this at work as it came on after Match of The Day. Wasn't huge on it. Hated everyone doing a stupid accent.

Review by Dawson Joyce ★★★★

Skillfully balancing intense action and compelling drama, Edward Zwick delivers yet another impressively crafted and put together historical war film with Defiance, featuring terrific performances, engaging characters, and strong writing and direction.

Review by Andy Fell ★★★½ 1

Schwere Kost - wie immer wenn die Judenverfolgung durch die Nazis in einem Film thematisiert wird. Und wenn das auf wahren Begebenheiten beruht umso mehr.

Unbeugsam ist auch so ein Film 😢. Inszeniert 2008 erzählt Unbeugsam die Geschichte der jüdischen Bielski-Brüder. In den Hauptrollen agieren Daniel Craig und Liev Schreiber .

Nachdem ihre Eltern auf Befehl der deutschen Besatzungsgruppe von den einheimischen Polizisten umgebracht wurden, fliehen die vier jüdischen Brüder Tuvia (Daniel Craig) , Zus (Liev Schreiber) , Asael (Jamie Bell) und Aron (George MacKay) aus Polen in die weißrussischen Wälder.

Nach und nach schließen sich der Gruppe immer mehr Juden an. Im Wald errichten die Flüchtlinge Lager, doch der Feind - in diesem Fall die eigentlichen Landsleute und obendrein noch die Nazis…

Review by noir1946 ★★½ 3

The true story depicted in Defiance is so compelling that it is difficult to believe it had to wait so long to be made into a film. While most Holocaust dramas focus on the persecution of the Jews and others imprisoned and murdered by the Nazis, Defiance presents a small group of Belarusian Jews who resist the invading German army and its collaborators, killing many of them. This fascinating historical even should make for both compelling drama and exciting adventure, but unfortunately, Clayton Frohman’s screenplay and Edward Zwick’s direction leave this potential untapped.

After their parents are murdered by Belarusian police, the Bielski brothers, Tuvia (Daniel Craig), Zus (Liev Schreiber), Asel (Jamie Bell), and young Aron (George McKay), seek refuge…

Review by Andy Summers 🤠 ★★★½

There have been many documented films about The Holocaust. What they all have in common is the power to educate. How many people aside from historians had heard about Oskar Schindler before Thomas Keneally's book and Steven Spielberg's film? The same would apply to the Bielski brothers, a group of partisans who rescued Jews in Eastern Poland at the height of the Nazi's occupation. A true story, this has Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, and Jamie Bell as the main protagonists battling against overwhelming odds in the Naliboki Forest. This film dispels the notion of Jewish passivity, but also upset historians who accused director Ed Zwick of more than a few mistruths. Controversial in Poland and Belarus upon its release, this…

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Defiance (I) (2008)

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"Compelling True Story"

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What You Need To Know:

(BBB, H, LL, VVV, S, N, AA, M) Very strong moral, biblical worldview of doing good and not seeking revenge, praying to God in Jewish context, and belief in God, plus a humanist line that God is not likely to part a body of water for the good guys like he did for Moses so they have to do things for themselves; 21 obscenities and no profanities; much war violence, many characters shot in fighting, five characters shot close up, bombing, fist fight, man hung, man beaten by mob; implied sexual relations and woman puts man’s hand on her chest over sweater; upper male nudity, nude couple together but covered up; much drinking of alcohol; no smoking or drugs; and, anti-Semitic statements by Nazis and Russian soldiers and revenge rebuked.

More Detail:

DEFIANCE is the true story of three Jewish brothers who escape from Nazi-occupied Poland into the Belarussian forest where they join Russian fighters and build a community to protect other refugees. The Bielski brothers flee for their own lives when they discover that the Nazis slaughtered their parents. There, they meet fellow Jews who have also fled. Zus Bielski leads the brothers in becoming a raiding party to kill and loot those who helped the Germans. However, Tuvia Bielski puts an end to the vigilante revenge and instead begins to lead the people into building a small village in the forest. Anxious to fight, Zus abandons his brother and joins the Russian army.

Tuvia continues to rescue refugee Jews until the community numbers in the hundreds. Despite illness, a bitterly harsh winter and internal strife, the community continues to thrive and ultimately leads over 1,200 people to safety after the war.

This remarkable story of courage is well made and well acted, especially by Daniel Craig and Live Schreiber as the two main brothers. While the story relies much on plot, the movie has a profound emotional depth as the characters endure continual hardship.

DEFIANCE does drag a bit, however, and could have been trimmed to keep the pace more active. The underscore is compelling.

DEFIANCE has a message of faith with a strong biblical worldview. The community stops seeking revenge and instead decides that to live free from the Nazis is itself an act of faith. The Jewish community at times loses their focus on God. At a funeral one character prays, “God, choose another people.” However, the professor who becomes the village rabbi says in the end that he almost lost his faith in God when they fled to the forest, but he now knows that Tuvia was sent by God to save them.

There is a mix of some humanist elements. As the community flees from the Germans they must wade through waist high water, and they comment that God isn’t going to part the water like he did for Moses, so they have to do it themselves.

As the community is built, the people celebrate a marriage and a baby being born. They learn to set aside differences and work together.

Being a movie set in a war, there is much violence, though the violence is not overly gory or glorified. Many are killed on screen in battle and in close up skirmishes. There is foul language and a scene of implied sexual relations by an unmarried couple.

With caution for children and other sensitive viewers, DEFIANCE is an emotional, moving true story of faith and courage in the midst of trying circumstances.

Posted on Jan 17, 2009 in Books and Movies

Defiance – Movie Review

Defiance from Paramount Vantage is about conflict—conflict between brothers, between uneasy allies and between Jews and non-Jews.

The film focuses on a portion of the history of the Bielski partisans—a band of armed Jewish fighters in the forests of western Belarus—between the summer of 1941 and the spring of 1942. Tuvia Bielski was the leader and built his band up from a small group of fugitives to a organized community of more than 1,200.

The relationship between Tuvia (portrayed by Daniel Craig) and his brother Zus (Liev Schreiber) is one of the main sources of tension in the film. After their village is liquidated they are forced to escape into the woods with their younger brothers Asael (Jamie Bell) and Aron (George Mackay).

Slowly, the brothers build up their resources, starting with just a hatchet, a pistol and four bullets. They acquire rifles and submachine guns and eventually launch guerilla raids and assassinations. They also forge a community in the woods, building a semi-permanent settlement with underground dugouts, a kitchen, mill, bakery, school and infirmary. Although pregnancies are forbidden, men of the community take "forest wives."

Zus Bielski is focused on revenge and acts of violence, preferring a more aggressive plan to actively fight the Germans and their collaborators. Tuvia, more diplomatic and compassionate than his brother, is a peacemaker and is always willing to help those in need.

The attempts by men like Tuvia to maintain their humanity while the Germans seek to destroy them is one of the major conflicts within the film: "We are hunted like animals, but we will not become animals," Tuvia says.

Daniel Craig as “Tuvia Bielski” and Liev Schreiber as “Zus Bielski” star in Defiance. Photo by Karen Ballard.

Aside from the final, climatic battle, most of the combat scenes are fairly realistic. The Bielski partisans, far from being a professional band of killers, first engage the Germans in a series of sloppy, personal and bloody fights.

The Bielski partisans and their erstwhile allies in the Red Army partisan faction have an uneasy relationship. The Bielskis supplied the Soviets with logistical support and supplies, but the soldiers were reluctant to reciprocate by sharing medicine or providing military assistance. Jewish fighters who joined the Soviet faction also experienced anti-Semitism, even though such sentiments were considered anti-revolutionary.

There were also conflicts within the Bielski faction between fighters and non-combatants (referred to as malbushim, Hebrew for clothes). In the film, Tuvia is shown as the creator of a egalitarian society, where both men and women are trained to shoot and everyone gets the same rations. However, the book Women in the Holocaust by Dalia Ofer and Lenore Weitzman paints a different picture. Some members of the Bielski brigade told the authors that the Bielskis ate better and that fighters had the first pick among women for sexual partners.

"There is no equality in any place and there was no equality in the forest either," one survivor testified.

The film has also been criticized for ignoring possible atrocities committed by the Bielski partisans, including the massacre of 128 Poles from Naliboki in 1943. Although Soviet partisans conducted the action, Bielski fighters allegedly supported them, although former fighters deny it.

The film does acknowledge the policy of Bielski partisans to execute any Germans who surrendered and portrays the killings as an orgy of revenge by grief-stricken survivors.

Sticklers for accuracy might be disappointed the dialogue is delivered in English with a light faux-Slavic accent; only a few scenes are conducted in German or Russian with subtitles. In a few instances, Craig’s British accent seeps through. Also, the story of the Bielski partisans as presented in the film is incomplete because the group operated until Belarus was liberated in 1944.

Overall, however, Defiance does a good job of telling the largely unknown story of a heroic band of Jewish fighters and of portraying life in a partisan camp.

Editor’s note: In an interview with History Net , award-winning director and producer Edward Zwick talks about the making of Defiance and his interpretations of the story.

Defiance @ IMDb

The Bielski Brothers – Google Book Search book preview

Please, spare us: “the policy of Bielski partisans to execute any Germans who surrendered”

It was a common policy by all partisan forces during WWII with very rare exceptions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenio_Cal%C3%B2

The bad thing that the movie depicts its as an orgy – it was rather common and unpleasant chore.

it’s true: “there is no equality in any palce. . . .” it happens then, it’s still happening now. . . in every place, be it be in the cities or in the forest. . .

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Defiance Reviews

58 Metascore
2 hr 17 mins
Watchlist Where to Watch

Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell portray three Jewish brothers who lead a resistance movement against the Nazis during World War II. Edward Zwick ("Glory") directed this powerful tale of courage, honor and vengeance based on a true story. Alexa Davalos, Allan Corduner, Tomas Arana, Mark Feuerstein.

A Holocaust film that's light on sentimentality but high on human drama, Defiance tells one of those remarkable survival stories that's so incredible it must be true. Though the poster image may indicate a film geared more toward a physical act of defiance rather than a philosophical one, anyone walking into Defiance in search of some cathartic, Nazi ass-kicking action will be sorely disappointed. It turns out co-screenwriters Clayton Frohman and Edward Zwick (who also directed) are more interested in using the scenario to explore man's inhumanity to man and the ways that war simultaneously brings out both the worst and the best in our unpredictable little species rather than following a group of machine-gun-toting Jews as they decimate Hitler's ranks. Defiance takes its inspiration from Nechama Tec's nonfiction book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans, which recounts the tale of three brothers who narrowly escaped a Nazi raid on their family farm, took refuge in the surrounding forest, and survived in the wilderness by setting up a small community with others who had lost their families and/or homes to the Nazi invaders. The year is 1941, and the Jews of Eastern Europe are under the threat of total extermination. Tuvia (Daniel Craig), Zus (Liev Schreiber), Asael (Jamie Bell), and Aron Bielski (George MacKay) have just lost everything they ever loved, and now in order to survive they must retreat into the trees. At first they have a distinct advantage over their pursuers; they grew up in these woods and know well how to use the cover to their advantage -- though as other wanderers arrive and their ranks begin to grow, so too do their chances of being discovered by the Nazis. When the competition for leadership between Tuvia and Zus threatens to stir dissent within the ranks, Zus makes the decision to leave the group and join a brigade of Russian resistance fighters who have set up camp nearby. As winter sets in, food supplies dwindle and disease begins to spread, causing many to wonder whether they should have remained in the ghetto and taken their chances with the Nazis. When it comes to Holocaust dramas, filmmakers have a habit of focusing on the larger stories and the epic battles -- and who can blame them? After all, it was a time when the world came precariously close to falling under the command of a fascist tyrant commanding an imposing army, and seeking to wipe out an entire race. And though many film lovers immediately recall haunting images of mass graves or sweeping shots from Triumph of the Will when we think of that horrible time in history, some of the most remarkable stories from that time are also some of the smallest, as evidenced by the continued impact of The Diary of Anne Frank, or, more recently, Roman Polanski's The Pianist. In Defiance, you won't find any goose-stepping Nazis marching in formation, and the one shot of a mass grave is revealed with a sure-handed subtlety that truly makes the blood run cold. This is an intimate story of family and community, told on the kind of small scale that forces us to experience the horror of losing someone whose face we recognize and whose voice has faded forever into the wind. It's a stark, albeit inspiring drama wherein brotherly bonds (both literally and figuratively) are put to the true test, and the challenge faced by survivors is how to maintain their humanity while being hunted and slaughtered like animals. The value in a film like Defiance is in helping us realize what it takes to hang on to our compassion even in times of unprecedented despair, and never giving up hope -- even when logic dictates that all is lost.

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Defiance Parent Guide

Wanting to illustrate the fact that not all jews were victims of hitler's rage, the filmmakers succeed at showing how attitudes of determination and defiance allowed many to weather the storm..

As Nazi forces invade Poland, the defiant Bielski brothers (played by Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell) escape into the Belarussian forest. Worried about the encroaching army and others of their race, the three men begin rescuing Jews and offering them protection within a village they build amidst the dense trees. This movie is based on a true story.

Release date January 16, 2009

Run Time: 137 minutes

Official Movie Site

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The guide to our grades, parent movie review by rod gustafson.

It’s 1941 and tens of thousands of Jewish people are being hunted in Eastern Europe—but three brothers are determined to take control of their destiny. Tuvia (Daniel Craig), Zus (Live Schreiber) and Asael Bielski (Jamie Bell) escape into the Belarussian forest surrounding their community after watching the horrific murders of their parents, extended family and friends by invading Nazi troops.

At first, the three siblings are focused on their own survival. Yet Tuvia is determined to help others and brings additional refugees into their midst. After Asael goes on a short expedition, he also returns with more men, women and children. Eventually the strays number into the hundreds and so do the stresses from the ever-increasing need to protect and feed these people. Zus is especially concerned and repeatedly voices his displeasure over his older brother’s overtly charitable attitude.

Based on true historical events surrounding this overlooked band of brothers and their self-named Bielski Otriad (or partisan detachment), this gripping film delivers a literally chilling view of what these people endured as they attempted to live as well as possible in makeshift camps amongst the dense trees. It shows the siblings as the heroes they were, but not without faults or emotions that sometimes created discord and contempt between them.

Dealing with topics surrounding the cruelties these survivors faced, this movie contains some strong language and graphic depictions of people being shot and physically abused. Nazi soldiers are seen rounding up women and children like cattle—then in another scene a long ditch filled with corpses is shown.

Within the camp, there is talk of choosing a “forest wife” or “forest husband” between people who may or may not already be married (in truth there was no way to determine if one’s spouse was still alive, and the sad reality was many had perished). Sexual content is minimal, with only one couple seen kissing and waking up together the next morning. There is also talk of a woman who was raped by a Nazi soldier, but details are not explicit.

Wanting to illustrate the fact that not all Jews were victims of Hitler’s rage, the filmmakers succeed at showing how attitudes of determination and defiance allowed many to weather the storm. While this serious material is unsuitable for children, the examples of these brave defenders may be appreciated by older teens and adults. Tuvia is especially noteworthy because of his willingness to put his own life at risk to save others.

About author

Rod Gustafson

Defiance rating & content info.

Why is Defiance rated R? Defiance is rated R by the MPAA for violence and language.

Based on historical accounts of Jews who were determined to hide from the wrath of Hitler’s invasions, this film details the efforts made by three brothers to protect a growing group of refugees. Frequent violence includes scenes of soldiers killing innocent people, including women, children and the elderly. Shootings are portrayed on-screen, and people are rounded up and taken away in trucks. Others are thrown, injured and killed during a bombing raid. Verbal threats and racial slurs are heard. A horse is shot off-screen. Sexual content is limited to discussions of people taking “forest wives” and “forest husbands”—many of these people are married, but have no idea if their spouses have survived. One couple is seen in bed, sexual activity is implied. A discussion occurs about a pregnant woman who was raped by a Nazi. A man unknowingly urinates on another man who is hiding. Profanities are moderately frequent, and include about a half-dozen sexual expletives, scatological terms, and religious profanities. Cigarettes smoking and alcohol use (sometimes to the point of impairment) are depicted.

Page last updated July 21, 2016

Defiance Parents' Guide

A search on the Internet for “Bielski Otriad” will result in many sites that have additional information on these heroic brothers. Here is an account of one person’s interactions with them and their camp deep in the forest: http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/Lida-District/visit-partisans.htm

The most recent home video release of Defiance movie is June 2, 2009. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Defiance

Release Date: 2 June 2009

Defiance releases to home video on DVD and Blu-ray. The movie is presented in wide screen with audio tracks in Dolby Digital Surround -English (on DVD) and Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby True HD 5.1 - English (on Blu-ray). Subtitles are available in English, French and Spanish.

Bonus materials include:

- Audio Commentary (by director Edward Zwick)

- Featurettes ( Return to the Forest: The Making of Defiance, Children of The Otriad: The Families Speak and Bielski Partisan Survivors )

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Defiance Reviews

Zwick is ardently devoted to entertainment value, even if it means sacrificing the dignity of his otherwise stimulating story.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Dec 15, 2023

It doesn’t take many risks and it never strays too far from the more conventional survival movie path. But it’s a very well made film that captures the look and tone of the period.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 20, 2022

Every minute that the cast and crew shot Defiance on location in Lithuania was worth it.

Full Review | Jul 19, 2021

Defiance survives its sometimes pedestrian tone and personality due to a serious and honest attitude towards its principal subject matter.

Full Review | Mar 5, 2021

The script can't quite manage enough pathos for its band of oddly anti-heroic protagonists to create a lasting impression.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Nov 28, 2020

As the leader with a checkered past, Craig shows off both his action hero chops, his sensitive side and a nifty little Belorussian accent that occasionally wavers.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.0/4.0 | Sep 5, 2020

I recommend the movie as a redemptive and uplifting tale of heroism... if only to call attention to the real heroism of the historic Bielski brothers.

Full Review | Apr 10, 2020

If only Defiance could offer up a treatment of this historical phenomenon with more originality and mettle and less faith in war-movie razzle-dazzle.

Full Review | Jan 27, 2020

Very displeased that the Holocaust is used, once again, as a place and time to pass off entertainment as art.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Oct 2, 2019

The kind of big, old-fashioned prestige entertainment Hollywood seems to have forgotten how to do

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 6, 2019

Bielski's extraordinary achievement is fairly and finely rendered...

Full Review | Aug 29, 2018

I've admired Craig's work in all his movies, and though it is unfair to compare his work here with his appearance as James Bond, I regard Defiance as the Daniel Craig movie I admire most.

Full Review | Jan 2, 2018

The actors are compelling. And Director Edward Zwick inflects the material with his trademark mix of moral zeal and high adventure, as in previous epics like Glory, Legends of the Fall and Blood Diamond.

Full Review | Dec 30, 2017

Zwick wants to tell timeless stories on a grand scale. I know that's not what people want anymore. I know it's not breathtaking. But it's not something many are doing now, and definitely not doing it this well.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Jun 22, 2013

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 16, 2011

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 16, 2011

Zwick does not deal in gratuitous grotesquery or far-fetched metaphor. "Operatic" and "surreal" are not in his vocabulary.

Full Review | Aug 16, 2011

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Apr 4, 2011

For all its pomp and ruminating, Defiance isn't really interested in drama. It really just wants to entertain us. But it's not any better at that.

Full Review | Original Score: 5.5/10 | Mar 18, 2011

Defiance is heavy-handed, but emotionally compelling, engaging and inspiring throughout.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Oct 20, 2010

"Defiance" movie review

in Video Reviews

Eric is the Editor-in-Chief of Scene-Stealers.com, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic , and contributor for The Pitch . He’s former President of the KCFCC , and drummer for The Dead Girls , Ultimate Fakebook , and Truck Stop Love . He is also the 2013 Air Guitar World Champion Mean Melin , ranked 4th best of all-time . Eric goes to 11. Follow him at:

{ 18 comments }

i fucking loved this review! to hear the movie sucked though. ouch.

Funny stuff!

Who’s that?

James Bond.

Where can I buy tickets?

This movie WAS horrible…and is Daniel Craig not the perfect example of the Aryan race…i don’t like seeing actors stuffed into movies just to make it sell. i would much rather prefer a lead that makes sense….ya feel me

This film has some highly accomplished partisan v SS/Wermacht battle scenes .. which seem to put you right in the heart of the fight…ala Edward Zwick’s sublime combat work on Glory. Apart from that though .. a compelling title sequence and first 30 minutes-or-so .. Defiance drifts disappointingly into cliche and Holocaust film formula.The film becomes bogged down in the forest.Far too much cliche riddled speech making .. emphasis on the women characters and an utterly predictable brother to the rescue ending. Also do we really need ANOTHER sombre solo violin led Holocaust movie score?. We know what’s on screen is sad .. How about a surprise or two to freshen up the formula. Oh, and anyone else think Daniel Craig’s speech on that white steed to the forest community was just a little Braveheart?. Barely a 2-and-a-half stars out of five for me..It’s getting to the point of oh no, not another Holocaust movie!. Enough already.

Just have seen the movie…Well…May be it’s not the best one, may be some scenes were cheesie and predictable. But I dont mind to watch another Holocost movie.Of course it is very important in a movie to have a good script, acting and so,which wasn’t that bad. But for me personnally, the story is much more important.I have never heard of those brothers and what they did. And in my opinion what the production was trying to do is to tell us an amazing story that deserves to be told. People must know that there was many heroes in that war, and Jews took an active part too. Honestly I was expecting more from the movie, but its very decent.

Wow.. this is why critics are morons. This movie was inspirational and really made you feel for the families affected by the holocaust. Who cares if it is predictable. I wish critics would go out and make movies instead of just talking about them. Get a real job.

Actually, my friend, the critic’s role is important to society. Movies aren’t just about the intention or the message. What I’m talking about is the way the message is presented. There was enough inherently dramatic material to make for an interesting movie. “Definace” isn’t that movie. A documentary about the real story would have probably been more engaging. Think about how the movies are being presented to you and not just the subject matter that’s being covered. Just because its about the Holocaust doesn’t mean its a successful film.

I still don’t think that Daniel Craig is a good James Bond, as he just looks like a guy with a lot of muscles and nothing in the brain. James Bond is all brain and doesn’t have any muscles.

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14 Movies About Christianity That Critics Loved, Ranked According to Rotten Tomatoes

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Movies about faith and religion generally have a reputation for being subpar, often laughable exercises in message over substance. It's lamentable that faith-based audiences haven't had more selection historically. Especially considering the size of the demographic, it's a pity this has long been the case.

One of the surprise breakout hits of 2023, Jesus Revolution , scored well with audiences and exceeded expectations at the box office. Critics generally endorsed the faith-based drama, with the film hovering just above a "Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes. Movies dealing with faith can be challenging to evaluate, especially from a critical angle. But as films that deal with themes of Christianity have become more popular in recent years, many have scored well on Rotten Tomatoes with both audiences and critics alike. Here are some of the best.

14 'Breakthrough' (2019)

Rotten tomatoes score: 62%.

Chrissy Metz as Joyce Smith watching her son in the hospital in 'Breakthrough.'

Based on the true story of a young boy named John Smith , Breakthrough revolves around the miraculous recovery of John ( Marcel Ruiz ), who falls through the ice of a frozen lake and is declared dead for over an hour. But his mother, Joyce Smith, holds out hope and desperately prays for her son's recovery. John's heart begins to beat again through the power of prayer, and in defiance of initial medical expectations, he finally makes a full recovery.

Breakthrough is a rare example of a faith-based movie that respects the medical profession . Moreover, it isn't afraid to show the characters' doubts and difficulties, which makes the eventual breakthrough much more potent and poignant. The movie is more than just faith, it's an all-encompassing movie that mixes faith, love, community, and hope to uplift, inspire, and bring joy. Even though it might not be a blockbuster, this movie could inspire others of the same genre to succeed.

Breakthrough

Not available

13 'Amazing Grace' (2006)

Rotten tomatoes score: 68%.

Ioan Gruffudd as William Wilberforce on a ship in 'Amazing Grace.'

Helmed by future The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader director Michael Apted , Amazing Grace follows the true story of William Wilberforce ( Ioan Gruffudd ) as he converts to Christianity and fights to end the slave trade in Great Britain. As Wilberforce fights with Parliament to outlaw slavery in England, we also pivot to the story of John Newton (played here by Albert Finney ), the writer of the titular hymn for which the film is named.

As the stories of Wilberforce and Newton converge, the truth that binds both men, and all Christians, is that men are created in the image of God, and thus, slavery is a defacement on par with heresy. Amazing Grace does a fabulous job of bringing this historical, and controversial, era to life, with excellent performances from Gruffudd and Finney, as well as supporting cast members Benedict Cumberbatch , Michael Gambon , Romola Garai , and Ciarán Hinds .

Amazing Grace

12 'signs' (2002), rotten tomatoes score: 75%.

Mel Gibson as Graham Hess and Rory Culkin as Morgan Hess in 'Signs.'

The most speculative movie on this list, M. Night Shyamalan's Signs is a powerful film that wrestles with the notion of divine providence and the struggles of maintaining faith in the face of grief. Mel Gibson plays a former Episcopalian priest, Graham Hess, as he fights to raise his two young children in the wake of their mother's death. With the help of his brother Merrill ( Joaquin Phoenix ), things get even more tricky when aliens invade the Earth.

While many have speculated that the aliens themselves are actually demons in disguise, the point of Signs isn't the science-fiction backdrop. Rather, the film hinges on Graham's struggle to believe in miracles, and his decision when he's forced to confront the fact that they exist. While this might not be the first Christian-based story you run to, it's one of the best.

11 'Silence' (2016)

Rotten tomatoes score: 83%.

Sebastião Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield)and Francisco Garupe (Adam Driver) enter Japan illegally in Martin Scorsese's Silence

Directed by Martin Scorcese , Silence is a theological and historical drama based on the novel of the same name by Shūsaku Endō . Starring Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver as Jesuit priests on a mission to Edo period Japan, they hope to locate their missing mentor ( Liam Neeson ) and spread their faith to the far reaches of the map. Unfortunately, things don't come easy as the Japanese officials stand steadily in their way.

While Silence is a bit controversial, it does an excellent job portraying the hardships associated with the persecution of Christians in 17th-century Japan . Garfield's Sebastião Rodrigues is a complicated character, one who wrestles with staying true to his own faith or preserving his own life. It's a hard choice, and one that doesn't come as easy as the priest may have hoped.

10 'The Tree of Life' (2011)

Rotten tomatoes score: 84%.

Jessica Chastain as Mrs. O'Brien marvels at butterfly in "Tree of Life."

Director Terrence Malick's Tree of Life is arguably one of the first and biggest mainstream films to deal with the concept of faith, pulling explicitly from the Bible's Book of Job. The movie follows the adult Jack O'Brien, played by Sean Penn , as he reflects deeply on his childhood, with his parents being played by Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain .

One of the most theologically profound aspects of this movie is the attention it gives to two opposing forces of humanity: the way of grace and the way of nature . The adult Jack O'Brien feels both of these forces within himself as he remembers his childhood. His mother, who is kind, nurturing, and patient, embodies the way of grace. His father, who is short-tempered, restless, and at times cruel, exemplifies the way of nature. The adult Jack tries to work out who he is as these dual forces battle within him as they do for all of us. Though it's somewhat divisive, Tree of Life was an overall triumph , garnering three Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.

The Tree of Life

9 'hacksaw ridge' (2016).

Andrew Garfield as Desmond Doss on the battlefield in 'Hacksaw Ridge.'

Years after Mel Gibson put together The Passion of the Christ , he opted to tell the story of a young combat medic named Desmond Doss (played by Andrew Garfield) during the Second World War. Hacksaw Ridge is the result, following Seventh-day Adventist Doss, a conscientious objector who decides to enter the Pacific battlefield to save lives rather than kill them. Doss' strong faith, honorable courage, and desire to see life preserved is the backbone to this powerful biographical drama .

It's no wonder that Hacksaw Ridge earned itself six Oscar nominations and multiple Golden Globe nominations, which all hinged on Gibson's impressive directorial efforts and Garfield's fantastic performance. Not only does Hacksaw Ridge honor Christian themes of preserving the life of one's enemies, but it also highlights powerful notions of love, marriage, duty, and honoring one's parents, even when that feels impossible.

Hacksaw Ridge

8 'the ten commandments' (1956).

Moses (Charlton Heston) with his arms raised in 'The Ten Commandments.'

Charlton Heston 's foremost biblical epic, directed by Cecil B. Demille , The Ten Commandments is a masterwork in American filmmaking that brings the story of Moses from the Book of Exodus to life . As Heston's Moses confronts Yul Brynner 's Pharaoh Rameses II for the salvation of the Hebrew people, it's clear that this Old Testament classic has remained a filmmaking marvel for a reason.

Heston (who doubles as Moses and the voice of God) is a powerful presence here, and though his work in Ben-Hur is perhaps his most exceptional, there's a reason he's still considered the best Moses by many. This is 220 minutes that you won't want to miss. Just be sure to give yourself a quick break during the intermission.

The Ten Commandments

7 'ben-hur' (1959), rotten tomatoes score: 85%.

Charlton Heston as Ben-Hur steering white horses in a chariot race in 'Ben-Hur' (1959).

Speaking of Charlton Heston... One of the most spectacular period movies on record, The Best Years of Our Lives helmer William Wyler 's astounding epic is based on the most popular Christian novel of the 19th century: Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ . The story follows a wrongly convicted and enslaved Jewish noble whose adventures parallel, and even intertwine, with the story of Jesus Christ.

Featuring Charlton Heston's best performance, Ben-Hur won a record 11 Oscars (only matched by Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ). The climactic chariot race is still among the most rousing action set pieces ever committed to film. It's definitely worth mentioning the 1925 silent MGM feature here as well, a landmark in its own right that every film fan should experience. A laughably under-cooked 2016 remake came and went also, but there's no need to dwell on that.

6 'The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind' (2019)

Rotten tomatoes score: 86%.

Maxwell Simba as William Kamkwamba being hugged by Chiwetel Ejiofor as Trywell Kamkwamba in 'The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.'

Based on the true story of William Kamkwamba , The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind follows William ( Maxwell Simba ) as he is forced to drop out of school due to a famine that devastates his village. Despite having no formal education, William is motivated to find a solution to the issues affecting his community, especially the starvation and drought that endanger their way of life. He becomes passionate about using wind energy to power a water pump and irrigate the fields, giving a lifeline for his village's survival after being inspired by a book he finds in the neighborhood library.

The movie's themes of resiliency, ingenuity, and the strength of the human spirit are set against this backdrop as it emphasizes how faith can bring comfort, motivation, and a sense of purpose during trying times . Although it's frequently tough to watch due to its honest depiction of human suffering, this only helps its high points pay off and makes the movie one of the most inspirational stories about human resilience and faith.

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind

5 'calvary' (2014), rotten tomatoes score: 89%.

Father James (Brendan Gleeson) looking distressed while walking down a street in 'Calvary.'

Calvary follows the story of a sincere, yet imperfect priest seeking to minister to a town that is burdened by sin and doubt. After an anonymous source warns Father James will pay for the sins of other priests with his life, the weight of the problems of the town seems to grow, and it seems there is a limit to the reconciliation Father James is able to usher in. Brendan Gleeson plays the priest Father James perfectly.

The film provides an interesting premise: rather than telling a story of a bad priest in a good world, this is the story of a good priest in a bad world. The values of forgiveness and restoration are strong, though they are always contrasted with despair and melancholy. Nearly a decade before his Oscar-nominated turn in The Banshees of Inisherin , Gleeson displayed his distinct gift for grounding dark comedy in layers of humanity.

4 'Women Talking' (2023)

Rotten tomatoes score: 90%.

Claire Foy as Salome hugs a child in 'Women Talking.'

Women Talking is just what it sounds like. The film centers around a conversation between female representatives of a Mennonite community in Bolivia who must decide together how to respond to a crisis in their community. Over a period of four years, the women have been attacked in the night by certain unknown men in their community. They have a small window of time when the men are away from the colony and the women must decide — should they run, fight, or do nothing?

This movie grapples with the question so many Christians deal with: What happens when I'm suffering and God is silent? Working out the answer to this question is exquisitely achieved in this film, which calls itself "a work of female imagination." The cast and crew of Women Talking were made up of nearly all females, with particularly excellent performances by Claire Foy and Rooney Mara . In the end, the women make their decision communally. They share their stories, their anger, and their hurts. While they know their choice is right, it doesn't mean it's easy.

Women Talking

Watch on Amazon Prime

3 'First Reformed' (2018)

Rotten tomatoes score: 94%.

Ethan Hawke as Father Ernst Toller and Amanda Seyfried as Mary Mensana sit on a couch together and both drink coffee in 'First Reformed.'

First Reformed deals with crises of faith. Ethan Hawke plays Father Toller, pastor of a historic church in upstate New York with a dying congregation. Amanda Seyfried plays Mary, a pregnant woman worried about her husband, a man consumed by the thoughts that the Earth will become uninhabitable for their child due to climate change. These characters come together, dealing with the weightiness of their personal lives, local politics, and a worldwide existential threat.

The most marvelous thing about this film is the relationship between its two main characters, played by Hawke and Seyfried . They're calm and understated, yet carrying the weight of the world within themselves. Yet this resonates as a human experience. Humans carry on in the face of death, loss, failure, uncertainty, and fear. These two characters look to Christianity for answers, but the answers don't come easily. The ending is a bit controversial, and doesn't represent the Christian position all too closely, but it's certainly an interesting take.

First Reformed

Watch on Kanopy

2 'Mass' (2021)

Rotten tomatoes score: 95%.

Jason Isaacs as Jay Perry and Martha Plimpton as Gail Perry in 'Mass.'

Mass is the story of one conversation that takes place entirely in a church basement. Two sets of parents who are connected by tragedy meet in an attempt to heal from the deaths of both of their sons. And while the setting is simple, the movie deals with the incredibly heavy issues of blame, guilt, and reconciliation. The movie is the directorial debut of Fran Kranz (yes, the pothead from Cabin in the Woods ), who also wrote and directed.

Reed Birney , Ann Dowd , Jason Isaacs , and Martha Plimpton all give moving performances of parents dealing with grief and hurt. The four of them create a lasting tension in the room together that makes trudging through their feelings difficult and volatile. Despite overwhelmingly positive response from critics as well as audiences ( the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is 91%), Mass more or less went under the radar upon release. It's one of the most powerful drama movies so far this decade, a gut punch about grace and redemption .

1 'The Passion of Joan of Arc' (1928)

Rotten tomatoes score: 98%.

Renée Jeanne Falconetti as Joan of Arc in 'The Passion of Joan of Arc.'

A breathtaking triumph of the silent era , Carl Theodor Dreyer 's masterpiece depicts the trial and execution of the eponymous defender of France who claimed to hear the voice of God. The film was released eight years after the Roman Catholic Church made Joan of Arc a patron saint, which gave it quite a boost in popularity.

Stylistically, The Passion of Joan of Arc is the place where French Impressionism, German Expressionism, and Soviet Montage meet. The director was famously meticulous in research surrounding the life and death of the subject, the production exquisitely framing Renée Jeanne Falconetti's performance that's long been regarded as among the best in film . Few films, if any, have relied so heavily on close-ups to such remarkable effect.

The Passion of Joan of Arc

Watch on Max

NEXT: 10 Great Movies About Religion That Anyone Can Appreciate

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Movie Review: Delicate and powerful, ‘Good One’ is one of the year’s indie breakouts

A 17-year-old’s perception of her father is forever altered on a three-day backpacking trip in India Donaldson’s debut “Good One,” in theaters Friday

A 17-year-old’s perception of her father is forever altered on a three-day backpacking trip in India Donaldson’s excellent debut “ Good One ," in theaters Friday .

Something happens. And then something doesn’t happen. But that’s more of the tear point on the already delicate fabric of a relationship that has been deteriorating from neglect for years.

The trip to the Catskills was envisioned as a joint family trip. Chris (James Le Gros) and his daughter Sam (newcomer Lily Collias) planned to go with Chris’s old friend Matt (Danny McCarthy) and his teenage son. But when they pull up to Matt’s place, there’s an argument taking place between the father and son, who retreats to the apartment as Matt stomps to Chris’s car. The teenage son is no longer joining them.

Donaldson focuses her camera on Sam, whose face and deeply expressive eyes tell you everything you need to know: This is weird and it doesn’t feel right. Suddenly she’s on a boys trip with a pair of sad middle aged men who have known one another for decades and whose lives haven’t worked out the way they thought. Both are divorced. Chris has moved on and has a new baby. Matt is still in the early stages of having his life upended. And, boy, do they talk about their failed relationships, one of whom is obviously Sam’s mother. “I couldn’t make her happy.” “She was the one who started doing things first.” “I didn’t want to get divorced.”

Sam rolls her eyes a lot of the time; Other times she responds insightfully. The guys seem to half hear her, but also not. They long ago decided on their own narrative, their victimhood, and Sam is not going to change that with a bit of innocent truth.

Are they always this honest with their disappointments, failures and shortcomings around their kids, you wonder? Or is this a new thing happening on this trip? Chris, in particular, has forgotten that Sam, as worldly and wise as she seems, is still ultimately just a kid. You sense that Sam has already started to realize that her father is as flawed as anyone; but on this trip, his full self is on display.

All of the acting is terrific and so naturalistic that it’s easy to forget that these are actors performing lines that they’ve memorized in front of a camera. Le Gros as the fastidious super camper, who freaks out about his daughter’s safety from bears when he discovers that Matt was eating in his tent, but does little later on; And McCarthy as a failed actor and now failed husband who can be charming and fun but is mostly annoying and gross. But the real breakout is Collias. Her face and presence, empathetic and knowing, carries the whole film in an unforgettable depiction of modern girlhood with all of the dreaminess, awkwardness and boredom.

Donaldson, like Kelly Reichardt , has a keen eye for the smallest of details; A reaction, a wince, even a blank expression that says everything. She also knows when to turn away from the dialogue and the people and give the audience a nature break. One of many great decisions was to have Sam on her period during the trip, something she deals with silently behind trees and bushes as the guys wait impatiently.

At one point the guys are dreaming about what they’d do differently if they had a second chance at life. Matt would be a philosopher. Chris would own a bookstore. What about Sam, they ask. She responds that hopefully she still has a shot at deciding on this life. Indeed.

These stakes might seem comparatively small in a movie landscape of deadly tornadoes, apocalypses and multiverses colliding. But that’s what makes it so special. It is humanity, with all of its beauties and disappointments, as most of us experience it. And it’s one that will likely stay with you for some time.

“Good One,” a Metrograph pictures release in limited theaters Friday, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for “language.” Running time: 90 minutes. Four stars out of four.

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Review: 'Kneecap' is an Irish hip-hop tale with an edge

Story of cultural identity, language and rap playfully blends truth and fiction..

A fiery celebration of hip-hop and native language as nothing less than expressions of hard-fought freedom, "Kneecap" is like an Irish "8 Mile."

Kneecap is a real rap group in Northern Ireland, and "Kneecap" is their partially true, partially fictionalized origin story. The group members — Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh (Mo Chara), Naoise Ó Cairealláin (Móglaí Bap), and JJ Ó Dochartaigh (DJ Provaí) — play themselves, while Michael Fassbender hangs around the periphery of the film as Naoise's father, who in an effort to evade arrest faked his own death years ago.

Take those elements with a grain of salt, and the truth is "Kneecap" doesn't need them, but Fassbender's presence certainly spices up the movie. Consider his involvement the star guest feature that helps open up the group to more potential listeners.

"Kneecap" is set in Northern Ireland, and an early montage of car bombings pokes fun at what the area is primarily known for by the outside world. This is handled in a very " we can laugh at ourselves, but you can't laugh at us " kind of way, and writer-director Rich Peppiatt uses the story's hyper-specificity to tell the tale to insiders, from their own home turf. Few concessions are made to outsiders.

But that clear-cut viewpoint is what gives the story its edge, and Peppiatt's hyper-kinetic style recalls Danny Boyle in his "Trainspotting" days. The film's druggy sequences, of which there are no shortage, have a '90s feel to them, especially one montage set to a Prodigy song.

Kneecap raps in Irish Gaelic, and much of the movie's drama comes from efforts to ban the language, effectively throwing dirt on the region's cultural identity. So the group's lyrics and performances become a form of defiance, which builds them a following and rankles government officials, which gets people rallying both behind and against them and makes for all sorts of good old-fashioned movie drama.

Liberally blending real life and fiction, "Kneecap" wears its influences on its sleeve, and even has a little bit of "School of Rock"-style " let's put on a show! " energy. But it's the story's gritty details that give it its punch, and it can feel like bellying up to the bar at an Irish pub and eavesdropping on a private conversation. In that regard, "Kneecap" bleeds authenticity.

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Rated R: for pervasive drug content and language, sexual content/nudity and some violence

Running time: 105 minutes

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Hamas names Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks, as its new leader in show of defiance

The Palestinian militant group Hamas said Tuesday it has chosen Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza who masterminded the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, as its new leader. Washington says he must now decide “whether to move forward with a ceasefire.”

Top U.S. national security leaders are calling for calm in the Middle East and say they are directly pressing Israel, Iran and others to avoid escalating the conflict.

FILE - Yahya Sinwar chairs a meeting with leaders of Palestinian factions at his office in Gaza City, April 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Adel Hana, File)

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Palestinians stand in rubble after an Israeli airstrike in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A Palestinian walks on a smoke-filled street after an Israeli airstrike in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A Palestinian man carries an injured child after an Israeli airstrike in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A wounded Palestinian arrives at a hospital after an Israeli airstrike in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians mourn the victims of an Israeli airstrike in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, standing with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, speaks during a news conference at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

BEIRUT (AP) — Hamas on Tuesday named Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza who masterminded the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, as its new leader in a dramatic sign of the power of the Palestinian militant group’s hardline wing after his predecessor was killed in a presumed Israeli strike in Iran.

The selection of Sinwar, a secretive figure close to Iran who worked for years to build up Hamas’ military strength, was a defiant signal that the group is prepared to keep fighting after 10 months of destruction from Israel’s campaign in Gaza and after the assassination of Sinwar’s predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh.

It is also likely to provoke Israel, which has put him at the top of its kill list after the Oct. 7 attack, in which militants killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took about 250 as hostages.

The announcement comes at volatile moment. Fears are high of an escalation into a wider regional war, with Iran vowing revenge against Israel over Haniyeh’s killing and Lebanon’s Hezbollah threatening to retaliate over Israel’s killing of one of its top commanders in an airstrike in Beirut last week. American, Egyptian and Qatari mediators are trying to salvage negotiations over a cease-fire and hostage release deal in Gaza, shaken by Haniyeh’ killing.

Hamas said in a statement it named Sinwar as the new head of its political bureau to replace Haniyeh, who was killed in a blast that Iran and Hamas blamed on Israel. Israel has not confirmed or denied responsibility. Also last week, Israel said it had confirmed the death of the head of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, in a July airstrike in Gaza. Hamas has not confirmed his death.

In reaction to the appointment, Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya televsion, “There is only one place for Yahya Sinwar, and it is beside Mohammed Deif and the rest of the October 7th terrorists. That is the only place we’re preparing and intending for him.”

Israel’s killings of multiple senior officials in Hamas over recent months left Sinwar as the most prominent figure in the group. His selection signals that the leadership on the ground in Gaza — particularly the armed wing known as the Qassam Brigades — has taken over from the leadership in exile, which has traditionally maintained the position of the overall leadership to navigate relations with foreign allies and diplomacy.

Haniyeh, who had lived in self-imposed exile in Qatar since 2019, had played a direct role in negotiations over a cease-fire in Gaza through U.S., Qatari and Egyptian negotiators — though he and other Hamas officials always ran proposals and positions by Sinwar.

Speaking to Al-Jazeera television after the announcement, Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan said Sinwar would continue the cease-fire negotiations.

“The problem in negotiations is not the change in Hamas,” he said, blaming Israel and its ally the United States for the failure to seal a deal.

But he said said Sinwar’s selection was a sign the group’s will had not been broken. Hamas “remains steadfast in the battlefield and in politics,” he said. “The person leading today is the one who led the fighting for more than 305 days and is still steadfast in the field.”

Hamas’ allies Iran and Hezbollah issued statements praising Sinwar’s appointment.

Hamas’ representative in Iran, Khaled Kaddoumi, called Sinwar a “consensus choice” popular among all factions and involved in the group’s decision-making throughout, including in negotiations. In a voice message to the AP, he said Sinwar knows the political aspirations of the Palestinians for a state and the return of refugees but he is also a “fierce fighter on the battlefield.”

Mediators have been struggling to push through a U.S.-backed outline for a deal, but talks have hit obstacles, particularly over its centerpiece terms — a release of all of Hamas’ remaining hostages in return for an end to the war and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

Hamas has demanded guarantees from mediators that an initial cease-fire will continue until terms for that exchange are worked out. Israeli leaders have threatened to resume fighting to eliminate Hamas after an initial partial hostage release.

In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sinwar “has been and remains the primary decider when it comes to concluding the cease-fire.”

He said Sinwar must “decide whether to move forward with a cease-fire that manifestly will help so many Palestinians in desperate need, women, children, men who are caught in a crossfire … It really is on him.”

As Hamas’ leader inside Gaza since 2017, Sinwar rarely appeared in public but kept an iron grip on Hamas’ rule over the territory. Close to Deif and Qassam Brigades, he worked to build up the group’s military capabilities.

In one of his few appearances, Sinwar ended a public speech in Gaza by inviting Israel to assassinate him, proclaiming, “I will walk back home after this meeting.” He then did so, shaking hands and taking selfies with people in the streets.

He has been in deep hiding since the Oct. 7 attacks, which triggered Israel’s campaign of bombardment and offensives aimed at destroying Hamas. The death toll among Palestinians is now nearing 40,000, most of the population of 2.3 million has been driven from their homes, and large swaths of Gaza’s towns and cities have been destroyed. In May, prosecutors at the International Criminal Court sought an arrest warrant against Sinwar on charges of war crimes over the Oct. 7 attack, as well as against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s defense minister for war crimes.

Hugh Lovatt, an expert on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the European Council on Foreign Relations. said the elimination of other top figures cleared the way for Sinwar. “Two weeks ago, few would have expected Sinwar to be the group’s next leader despite the strong influence he exerts from Gaza,” he said.

The killing of Haniyeh, a relative moderate, “not only opened the path for Sinwar to claim full control of Hamas, but also appears to have tipped the group into a more hardline direction,” he said.

Associated Press writers Kareem Chehayeb and Sarah El Deeb in Beirut contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Middle East Crisis Arab States Urge Iran to Show Restraint in Conflict With Israel

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A crowd of women, some with their fists raised. A large Iranian flag hangs behind them.

Arab nations urge Iran to exercise restraint in responding to a Hamas leader’s assassination.

Several Arab countries are encouraging Iran to exercise restraint in responding to the assassination of Hamas’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran last week, as fears of an unpredictable regional war expand.

The diplomatic blitz, led by countries allied with the United States, came as the Biden administration was trying to lower tensions in the Middle East and renew efforts to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza.

But the diplomacy also reflected concerns among some Arab countries of being dragged into a major conflict that could destabilize their economies and undermine their security.

In the past week, Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi of Jordan has twice met with senior Iranian officials, including the newly elected Iranian president , in a rare visit to Tehran.

“Jordan informed the Iranian brothers of its message in a clear manner,” Muhannad al-Mubaidin, Jordan’s minister of government communications, said in an interview. “We will not allow for our airspace or land to be used for any purpose. We are not willing to be a battlefield.”

In April, Jordan helped intercept missiles and drones fired by Iran at Israel after senior Iranian officers were killed in an airstrike on Iran’s embassy complex in Damascus, Syria. The strike was widely attributed to Israel.

The latest tensions between Israel and Iran have put Jordan in a particularly challenging position. While it maintains a strong relationship with the United States and close security coordination with Israel, Jordan also has millions of citizens of Palestinian origin, including many who fiercely oppose aiding Israel in any form.

“Jordan has to strike a very delicate balance,” said Saud al-Sharafat, a former brigadier general in Jordan’s intelligence service. “It’s like walking on a tightrope.”

Last week, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that avenging Mr. Haniyeh’s death was “our duty” because he had been killed on Iranian soil. He promised to deliver “a severe punishment.”

Countries farther from Israel have also been urging Iran to refrain from escalating regional tensions.

In a phone call on Monday, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the prime minister of Qatar, told Antony J. Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, that he had spoken to Ali Bagheri Kani, the Iranian foreign minister, about the need for restraint, according to an official familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy.

The Qatari prime minister also informed Mr. Blinken that Qatar had given a similar message to Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese militia that has been exchanging fire with Israeli forces along the Lebanon-Israel border, the official said. Hezbollah says it is fighting there in support of Hamas in Gaza. Both groups are backed by Iran.

Hours before Mr. Haniyeh’s assassination, Israel killed Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s top military official, in response to a deadly strike on a soccer field in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights days earlier. Israel blamed Hezbollah for that strike, but the group denied responsibility.

Earlier this week, Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said in a speech that his group and Iran were “obliged to respond” to the killings of Mr. Shukr and Mr. Haniyeh, “whatever the consequences.”

“What is required is confrontation,” he said.

On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty of Egypt called Mr. Bagheri Kani as a part of his country’s efforts to “contain the escalation in the region,” the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday expressed sympathy for Iran’s position and sharply criticized Israel during an extraordinary meeting in Saudi Arabia of foreign ministers from countries belonging to the Organization for Islamic Cooperation.

The Saudi deputy foreign minister, Waleed El Khereiji, said that Mr. Haniyeh’s assassination had been a “blatant violation” of Iran’s “sovereignty, its regional and national security and of international law.” Mr. El Khereiji added that the kingdom called on the international community to force Israel to “bear responsibility for its crimes,” including attacks on Palestinian civilians.

Amid the flurry of calls and meetings, some officials in the Arab world were predicting that Iran would conduct a limited response.

One adviser for an Arab country whose officials speak frequently with their Iranian counterparts said they saw Iran as “smart and cautious” and that while they did expect a response to Mr. Haniyeh’s assassination, they thought it would be calibrated to avoid further escalation. The adviser spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to disrupt diplomatic channels.

Reducing tensions, Jordanian officials said, was important for giving an agreement on a cease-fire in Gaza a chance to be reached.

“It’s not possible to end a war while you’re witnessing an escalation from all the sides,” Mr. Mubaidin, the government communications minister, said.

Vivian Yee and Vivian Nereim contributed reporting.

— Adam Rasgon and Ben Hubbard

Key Developments

Turkey joins in the genocide case against Israel at the World Court, and other news.

Turkey asked on Wednesday to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. In an initial ruling on the genocide case in January, the court ordered Israel to restrain its attacks in Gaza , and in May it ordered the country to immediately halt its military offensive in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. Israeli officials have strongly denied the genocide accusation and denounced the provisional measures . Several other countries have said they would file arguments in the case.

The Israeli military ordered Palestinians on Wednesday to leave several neighborhoods in northern Gaza and move south into Gaza City, warning shortly after midnight on Wednesday morning that it was preparing to take “immediate” and “forceful” action against Hamas and other militants who it said fired rockets toward Israel. The new evacuation orders were issued for areas near Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia, which have been decimated by repeated Israeli bombardment. Later on Wednesday, the Israeli military urged displaced Palestinians to move even further south into central Gaza, including into Deir al Balah.

Amid a flurry of international diplomatic activity to avert a wider war in the Middle East, France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, spoke to Iran’s new president, Massoud Pezeshkian, on Wednesday, according to a statement from Mr. Macron’s office. France’s leader called on Mr. Pezeshkian “to do everything in his power to avoid a new military escalation, which would be in nobody’s interest, including Iran’s,” the statement said. It added that Mr. Macron was sending the same message to all actors in the region that he was in contact with and reiterated France’s support for “an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and a firm refusal of any escalation with Lebanon.”

The Iranian authorities issued an advisory on Wednesday to all civil airlines not to fly over its airspace, according to Egyptian state media. The report attributed the advisory to military drills on Wednesday afternoon and early Thursday morning. Still, the warning came as the Middle East was bracing for a potential Iranian attack in response to the assassination of the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week. It also came as airlines around the world, including United and Delta, have suspended some flights to the region amid fears of wider war.

Some Gazans worry that Sinwar’s rise could mean a cease-fire is further away.

Palestinians in Gaza were apprehensive about Hamas’s decision on Tuesday to name Yahya Sinwar, one of the architects of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, to lead its political wing, fearing that a cease-fire deal — and an end to their suffering — would be even further away.

Ordinary Gazans have borne the brunt of 10 months of Israeli bombardment and ground fighting that have killed more than 39,000 Palestinians, according to health officials, and left hundreds of thousands of others struggling to find food, water and shelter. For that, many Gazans blame Mr. Sinwar, the influential leader of Hamas in Gaza.

His appointment to replace Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed last week in an assassination in Iran widely believed to have been carried out by Israel , cements his influence over the armed group and shows that Hamas remains unwavering in its hard-line position.

“I thought that after they killed Haniyeh, they had already achieved their goal and that we were closer to the end of the war,” said Nisreen Sabouh, a 37-year-old displaced mother of four.

“But now, with Sinwar taking over, I don’t believe this will bring the negotiations to a better place,” she said, adding that Mr. Sinwar, who remains the head of Hamas in Gaza, “is tough and everyone knows that.”

The situation in Gaza has continued to worsen as Israeli troops have in recent weeks been returning to parts of Gaza where they said Hamas had regrouped. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, too, has expressed little appetite for compromise, insisting last month on further concessions from Hamas in negotiations.

The Israeli army ordered the evacuation of parts of the northern town of Beit Hanoun on Wednesday, the latest in a series of recent directives that have forced tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians to relocate yet again amid ongoing airstrikes and shelling.

Against that backdrop, the change in the leadership of the group that had governed them — often oppressively — was one of the many things some people said they no longer had the luxury to worry about.

“I don’t care who Hamas chooses to lead the movement inside or outside,” said Safaa Oda, a 39-year-old cartoonist from the southern city of Rafah who was displaced to a tent in Khan Younis.

“What we need is a cease-fire,” she said, adding that she believes that Sinwar’s appointment will make the situation in Gaza “worse than ever before.”

Mr. Sinwar, who is believed to be hiding out in tunnels deep beneath Gaza, has been widely seen as trying to keep Hamas’s focus more on military power than on running a civilian government. Hamas leaders have said they want to ignite a permanent state of war with Israel on all fronts as a way to revive the Palestinian cause.

Husam al-Khateeb, a 45-year-old technician at a local radio station from Deir al Balah, in central Gaza, described Mr. Sinwar as “the most obstinate man I have ever seen.”

Mr. Sinwar was “willing to do anything for the sake of the movement’s survival,” he said. A solution to the conflict and an end to the war would not come from Mr. Sinwar or from inside Gaza, he said, but from Iran and its proxies and the United States.

Ibtihal Shurrab, 29, from Khan Younis, noted the widespread thinking that Mr. Haniyeh was more of a figurehead, while Mr. Sinwar “has the first and last word in everything.”

“It is a scary situation that we live in,” she said. “I hope Sinwar can be the one to end the war, the way he was the one who started it.”

Abu Bakr Bashir contributed reporting from London.

— Bilal Shbair and Hiba Yazbek reporting from Gaza and Jerusalem

Sinwar is the ‘primary decider’ in any cease-fire, Blinken says.

Hamas’s decision to name Yahya Sinwar, its hard-line leader in Gaza and a key planner of the Oct. 7 attacks, to head its political wing could complicate prospects for a cease-fire deal by further empowering him in the troubled negotiations , political analysts said on Wednesday.

It could also make Hamas more impervious to pressure from nations like Qatar that have helped mediate the talks, given that Mr. Sinwar, unlike other leaders of the group, has remained in Gaza since the war started 10 months ago, the analysts said.

Israel and Hamas have been negotiating for months over a cease-fire deal that would involve the release of hostages taken to Gaza on Oct. 7. The deal would also involve the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli detention and an increase in the amount of aid to the enclave, and in a later phase is intended to lead to an end to the war.

American and Israeli officials have accused Hamas of intransigence over the deal, and they say Mr. Sinwar has always had the power to veto any proposal, given his leadership of the group in Gaza. Antony J. Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, said the announcement on Tuesday would reinforce that role.

The choice of Mr. Sinwar “only underscores the fact that it is really on him to decide whether to move forward with a cease-fire,” Mr. Blinken said at a news conference in Annapolis, Md., late Tuesday, shortly after the appointment was announced. “He has been and remains the primary decider when it comes to concluding a cease-fire.”

At the same time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has taken a hard line, saying last week that he wanted to put more military pressure on Hamas to squeeze more concessions from the group. Families of hostages taken to Gaza on Oct. 7 have accused Mr. Netanyahu of doing too little to reach an agreement that would secure their release.

Around 115 of the people seized as hostages on Oct. 7 remain in Gaza. That number includes the bodies of those who have died or been killed in captivity.

Hamas named Mr. Sinwar to replace Ismail Haniyeh, the group’s previous political leader and a key liaison in the indirect cease-fire talks with Israel. Mr. Haniyeh, who had been living in Qatar, was killed in an explosion in Iran last week that has been widely attributed to Israel.

Mr. Sinwar is a major target of Israel’s military, which has vowed to eliminate him. He has made no public appearances since the start of the war and communicates through intermediaries.

In effect, the naming of Mr. Sinwar to the position amounts to a new phase in the cease-fire talks because it binds Hamas to the leader most identified with the war, one who has previously adopted an inflexible approach, according to Mkhaimar Abusada, a professor of political science from Gaza City.

He said Mr. Sinwar was also more closely aligned with Iran than others in the group’s top leadership. Iran backs Hamas and has threatened retaliation for the assassination of Mr. Haniyeh.

“He isn’t going to make any more concessions. He knows more than anyone else that the hostages are the only card he has,” said Mr. Abusada, who is now based in Cairo.

Choosing a new leader for the political wing of Hamas would normally take months, and different segments of the group, including prisoners detained in Israel, would be consulted, according to Ibrahim Dalalsha, founder of the Horizon Center for Political Studies and Media Outreach, a research organization based in the West Bank. But Hamas made the decision quickly in order to send a message, he said.

Mr. Dalalsha said Mr. Sinwar cannot effectively oversee Hamas’s entire operation, given that he is in hiding, but the group wanted to signal that it views the war in Gaza, rather than developments in the West Bank, Qatar or elsewhere in the region, as its primary focus. Hamas’s selection of Mr. Sinwar also signals his primacy in the cease-fire talks.

“It tells Israel in a defiant way that they are negotiating with Sinwar, so it’s blunt,” he said.

But Ehud Yaari, an Israel-based fellow of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, argued that while the new role for Mr. Sinwar was symbolically important for Hamas, it would make little difference in the negotiations, which he said have been deadlocked largely over arrangements for policing a strip of land between Gaza and Egypt.

Waiting for Mr. Sinwar’s approval has often slowed cease-fire negotiations. It has sometimes taken a day to get a message to him and another day to receive a response.

Mr. Sinwar has sometimes disagreed with Hamas leaders outside Gaza and is seen as less ready to concede ground to the Israeli negotiators, in part because he knows that he is likely to be killed whether or not the war ends, analysts say. The death of Mr. Haniyeh, in an explosion in Tehran last week, lends credence to this perception — as has Israel’s response.

Israeli officials have vowed to kill Mr. Sinwar in retaliation for his work in planning the Oct. 7 attack, which they say killed about 1,200 people and led to roughly 250 being taken back to Gaza as hostages. The military’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, reiterated that stance on Tuesday.

“There is only one place for him, and that is alongside Muhammad Deif and all of the other terrorists who are responsible for Oct. 7,” he said, referring to another Hamas leader, whom Israel says it killed in an airstrike in July . “That is the only place we are preparing for him.”

Ephrat Livni contributed reporting.

— Matthew Mpoke Bigg

The United States presses Hamas’s new political chief to accept the latest cease-fire proposal.

The White House called on the new political leader of Hamas on Wednesday to accept the cease-fire agreement with Israel that remained on the table and expressed continued optimism that a deal could be had quickly if both sides simply agreed.

John F. Kirby, a national security spokesman for the White House, said that Yahya Sinwar — the leader of Hamas in Gaza who took over as head of the group’s political wing following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran last week — was a killer.

“The man is a terrorist,” Mr. Kirby told reporters. “He has an awful lot of blood on his hands. This guy was the architect of the 7th of October attacks in Israel. And some of that blood on his hands is American blood.”

But Mr. Kirby added that Mr. Sinwar had “always been the chief decision maker when it comes to negotiations” for a cease-fire. So in that sense, “nothing really changes,” he added.

“And as the chief decision maker, he needs to decide now to take this deal, to get a cease-fire in place, to get some of those hostages home and to get us all an opportunity to get more humanitarian assistance in,” Mr. Kirby said. “He needs to accept the deal.”

Mr. Kirby repeated the White House position that the cease-fire talks were “as close as we’ve ever been” to a deal with only select gaps remaining that were “narrow enough that they can be closed.”

He also put the onus on Israel to accept the deal.

“There is a good proposal before both sides, and they need to both accept that proposal so we can get this in place,” Mr. Kirby said.

He said that the United States was still “working really, really hard, with intense diplomacy” to avoid an escalation following the assassinations of Mr. Haniyeh in Tehran and a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon. “We certainly don’t want to see any sort of all-out regional war,” he said. “And there’s not a whole lot of indications that other parties here want to see the same thing.”

— Peter Baker Reporting from Washington

Israel’s military chief says the country is at ‘peak readiness,’ both defensively and offensively.

Government and military leaders are visiting troops at bases around Israel this week, vowing military readiness, as search-and-rescue units are deployed to Haifa, Eilat and other Israeli cities.

As fears of escalation rise around the region, Israelis are readying for attacks on multiple fronts, with the expectation that Iran and its proxies will retaliate after the assassinations last week of a Hezbollah commander, Fuad Shukr, and Hamas’s political chief, Ismail Haniyeh.

Israel has acknowledged killing Mr. Shukr in the southern suburbs of Beirut, but not Mr. Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran, though it has been widely held responsible for that assassination. The leaders of Iran and Hezbollah, a powerful Iran-backed Lebanese militia, have vowed to respond.

On Wednesday, Herzi Halevi, the military’s chief of staff, expressed readiness, telling soldiers after an assessment of the Tel-Nof Air Force Base, near Rehovoth : “I see peak readiness, both in offense and in defense.”

“We will know how to carry out a very rapid offensive anywhere in Lebanon, anywhere in Gaza, anywhere in the Middle East, above ground and below ground,” he added.

The same day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited troops at a base near Tel Aviv, welcoming new recruits, according to a video posted on social media. Addressing Israeli citizens broadly, he urged them to remain calm, cool and vigilant. He has said that Israel would “exact a heavy price for any act of aggression.”

Haifa, Tel Aviv and other major cities were seeing an influx of search-and-rescue battalions , sent by the Israeli Home Front Command this week in preparation for any strikes on civilian centers. Residents have been told to stock up on food and water and limit their activities. In northern Israel, near Lebanon, outdoor gatherings are restricted to 30 people, and beaches are closed.

World leaders have been urgently exchanging phone calls in an attempt to stave off an escalation. On Wednesday, France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, spoke to his newly elected Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, to urge restraint, a message the French leader was sending to everyone in the region, according to a statement from Mr. Macron’s office.

President Biden spoke with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani , on Tuesday and with King Abdullah II of Jordan on Monday to convey a similar message.

The possibility of an escalation has rattled nerves around the region. In Lebanon, the government is stocking up on emergency supplies and preparing for worst-case scenarios . Iranians are watching and waiting.

Iran’s government has not issued directives about what citizens should do in the event of Israeli counterstrikes, leaving some Iranians anxious and confused . Iran issued a notice on Wednesday to civilian aviation agencies worldwide warning of military drills for several hours on Wednesday night and into Thursday over parts of the country. The announcement stoked fears of a possibly imminent strike, but the night passed with relative quiet.

Farnaz Fassihi contributed reporting.

— Ephrat Livni

Theater + Arts | Review: A revamped ‘Peter Pan’ takes flight…

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Theater + arts, subscriber only, theater + arts | review: a revamped ‘peter pan’ takes flight in costa mesa.

First off, don’t panic! While there’s been tinkering with the book that includes a song replacement, Peter Pan still aims to be a boy forever. Captain Hook still sneeringly waits in Neverland to conquer the Lost Boys. And the young audience is still summoned at the crucial moment to keep Tinker Bell alive.

But where it was traditionally an older actress flying around on the guy wires, we now have a 17-year-old male — a skillful actor to boot — teaching the Darling family kids how to fly.

Nolan Almeida as Peter Pan (center) and the cast of Peter Pan oerform "I Won't Grow Up!" (Photo by Matthew Murphy, @Murphymade)

And while the original setting was Victorian London, now the family home is set in an American present, with a newly fashioned book reframing some of the characters and values to reflect current sensibilities.

More about the — quite enjoyable — acting in a bit, but the thematic updating is what’s notable in a well-sung, well-danced and well-flown production.

In revamping the book, playwright Larissa FastHorse looked with a contemporary eye, especially the portrayals of some supplementary roles and primary female characters.

Examples of these shifts appear in the first scene. As the show starts, the eldest Darling child Wendy is fretting on how she will be able to get to medical school. Meanwhile, the older son John (alas, his British top hat is gone) is working on a replica model of a Cahokia People’s settlement.

Later, Fasthorse replaces the show’s “Indians” with a conglomerate tribe of indigenous peoples who have come to Neverland as the only ones left from their cultures.

Additionally, the two primary female characters Wendy and Tiger Lily each have more elevated presences, particularly as animated parts of the action elements. The two also now share a scene where they bond and defuse the disputes between the Lost Boys and Tiger Lily’s followers.

This funds a new number that replaces the song “Ugg-a-Wugg.” It has led to the big, rousing new dance-driven first act ending number “Friends Forever.”

From left, Nolan Almeida as Peter Pan, Kenny Ramos as Acoma, Raye Zaragoza as Tiger Lily and other cast members perform

While this superficial explanation might make it sound that a family-friendly show has become a didactic polemic, both Fasthorse and director Lonny Price have worked surgically and skillfully so that the moves feel organic and the show plays at an energetic pace.

The key to “Peter Pan” remains the performances from the two showiest leads which make this version tick (speaking of ticking: the ominous crocodile which munches off all five of Hook’s left fingers and then swallows a clock is still, er, on hand).

Nolan Almeida as Peter and Cody Garcia as Captain Hook are just as dandy as we could hope these dominating rivals to be.

What’s interesting and a bit revelatory about Almeida’s Peter isn’t so much we have a male playing a boy, but that we get the animating energy and bravado of an age-appropriate teen who can act.

From the first time he flies in the Darling window, a lovely lighting effect accented by glittering pixie dust, Almeida inhabits Peter with crackling energy.

With his mop of curly hair and his derring-do eagerness for sword fighting half a dozen baddies at a time, Almeida checks boxes for what makes for a fun Peter Pan.

But, better, is Almeida’s ability to navigate the inner contrariness of Peter, showing us the workings of the boy’s moods as he is buffeted about emotionally by internal struggles.

Peter’s primary nature, of course, is found in the willful defiance when he and his Lost Boys sing “I Won’t Grow Up.” In some ways, though, a more revealing solo for the character comes in the second act with “When I Went Home,” in which Peter plaintively reveals his shadowy past experience of being shunned in his earliest years.

Further complicating the character is a child’s desire to gain and exercise power, and the loss of childhood innocence that comes when grappling with that adult goal.

Almeida is effective at peeling away and showing these inner layers. There are instances where the actor almost involuntarily clenches his fists so that they seem to quiver in anguish and frustration as he manifests the struggle between his true nature and the complications of a life he didn’t choose.

Meantime, in his sworn adversary we get a marvelous turn from Garcia as the dastardly Hook.

This is, happily, not a pirate king of the “aargh” school. Instead, Garcia — who does double duty as Mr. Darling — is an elegant despot with a sneering brogue used to engaging effect in both conniving up dastardly plans to defeat arch-enemy Peter and deliciously belittling anyone who is around.

Cody Garcia, center, stars as Captain Hook in

What elevates the performance is Garcia’s physicality in the role. He’s tall, certainly compared to most of the cast, and adroit at everything from elegant and sweeping gestures to buckling all his moves and reactions with a great deal of swash.

The third key character is Wendy, played by Hawa Kamara. Kamara is most convincing in her guise as “The Mother” for the Lost Boys.

She especially does well in her moment designed to provide comic relief for the older generations in the audience.

As chief storyteller in Neverland, and after reciting the plot lines of “Cinderella” and “Sleeping Beauty,” with the inevitable ending of “… and they all lived happily ever after” Wendy fields a request from one of the Lost Boys: “tell us the end of Hamlet.”

Kamara patiently drops in exquisite pauses here, drawing laughs in carefully providing answers to that stumper.

Overall, this “Peter Pan” is a summer pleasure. All ages, and sensibilities, now welcome.

‘Peter Pan’

Rating: 3 stars (out of a possible four).

When: Through Aug. 18; 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m., Sundays.

Where: Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

Tickets: $32.77-$157

Information: 949-556-2787; scfta.org

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Defiance movie review & film summary (2009)
"Defiance" is based on the true story of a group of Jews in Belarus who successfully defied the Nazis, hid in the forest and maintained a self-contained society while losing only about 50 of their some 1,200 members. The "Bielski Partisans" represented the war's largest and most successful group of Jewish resisters, although when filmmakers arrived on the actual locations to film the story ...
Defiance (2008)
Defiance. In 1941, Nazi soldiers are slaughtering Eastern European Jews by the thousands. Three brothers, Tuvia (Daniel Craig), Zus (Liev Schreiber) and Asael (Jamie Bell), manage to escape and ...
Defiance Movie Review
The film is exciting, shot with skill and a singular ability to show the harrowing savagery and heroic behavior that lived and breathed in the early 1940s. Defiance is less successful when it zeroes in on the stories of the individual people who make up the refugee community.
Defiance
Directed by Edward Zwick (Glory, Blood Diamond) and adapted for the screen by Zwick and Clay Frohman from the non-fiction book by Nechama Tec, Defiance tells the true story of three brothers Tuvia, Zus and Asael Bielski who beat incredible odds and ultimately kept thousands of Jews safe from being murdered by the **** and their supporters.
Defiance (2008)
Defiance: Directed by Edward Zwick. With Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, Alexa Davalos. Jewish brothers in German-occupied Eastern Europe escape into a Belorussian forest, where they join Russian resistance fighters, and endeavor to build a village, in order to protect themselves and about one thousand Jewish non-combatants.
Defiance (2008 film)
Defiance is a 2008 American war film directed by Edward Zwick, and starring Daniel Craig as Tuvia Bielski, Liev Schreiber as Zus Bielski, Jamie Bell as Asael Bielski, and George MacKay as Aron Bielski.Set during the occupation of Belarus by Nazi Germany, the film's screenplay by Clayton Frohman and Zwick was based on Nechama Tec's 1993 book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans, an account of the ...
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Movie Review | 'Defiance' A Society in the Forest, Banding Together to Escape Persecution. Share full article. Defiance Directed by Edward Zwick Action, Drama, History, Thriller, War R 2h 17m.
Defiance Review
08 Jan 2009. Running Time: 136 minutes. Certificate: 15. Original Title: Defiance. Harvey Weinstein has long talked of directing the story of the Warsaw uprising, when ghettoised Jews fought back ...
Defiance
Movie Review. In 1941, Hitler began the systematic slaughter of Poland's Jewish citizens. But brothers Tuvia and Zus Bielski refused to submit to that fate. When their village is sacked and their parents murdered by Polish police working for the Nazis, the brothers gather their two younger siblings and hide in the nearby Belorussian forest.
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‎Defiance (2008) directed by Edward Zwick • Reviews, film
Freedom begins with an act of defiance. Based on a true story, during World War II, four Jewish brothers escape their Nazi-occupied homeland of West Belarus in Poland and join the Soviet partisans to combat the Nazis. The brothers begin the rescue of roughly 1,200 Jews still trapped in the ghettos of Poland.
Defiance (2008)
8/10. Exciting, Inspirational, Craig and Scheiber are Fine. Danusha_Goska 20 January 2009. "Defiance" is a very entertaining, exciting, suspenseful, and inspirational film about a tough topic: the Holocaust. Its many action sequences are well-paced and well-motivated.
The Independent Critic
Zwick tries his darndest to make "Defiance" have the look and feel of an Oscar-level film. On more than one occasion, he juxtaposes scenes of action and drama with scenes of serenity and the sublime. Too often, "Defiance" falls back on formula. It seems a little convenient, for example, that one brother renounces violent revenge, one brother ...
DEFIANCE
DEFIANCE also has a message of faith with a very strong moral worldview. A character says that he almost lost his faith in God when they fled to the forest but he now knows that Tuvia was sent by God to save them. The movie's wartime violence, brief foul language and implied sexual content require caution.
Defiance
Defiance - Movie Review. Defiance from Paramount Vantage is about conflict—conflict between brothers, between uneasy allies and between Jews and non-Jews. The film focuses on a portion of the history of the Bielski partisans—a band of armed Jewish fighters in the forests of western Belarus—between the summer of 1941 and the spring of 1942.
Defiance
Defiance. Merchant mariner Tommy (Jan-Michael Vincent) is stuck in New York's Lower East Side, waiting for his next ship to sail. He mostly keeps to himself, though he takes a liking to a pretty ...
Defiance
Defiance takes its inspiration from Nechama Tec's nonfiction book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans, which recounts the tale of three brothers who narrowly escaped a Nazi raid on their family farm ...
Defiance Movie Review for Parents
The most recent home video release of Defiance movie is June 2, 2009. Here are some details… Home Video Notes: Defiance. Release Date: 2 June 2009. Defiance releases to home video on DVD and Blu-ray. The movie is presented in wide screen with audio tracks in Dolby Digital Surround -English (on DVD) and Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby True HD 5.1 ...
Defiance
Full Review | Original Score: 5.5/10 | Mar 18, 2011. Defiance is heavy-handed, but emotionally compelling, engaging and inspiring throughout. Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Oct 20, 2010 ...
"Defiance" movie review
Apart from that though .. a compelling title sequence and first 30 minutes-or-so .. Defiance drifts disappointingly into cliche and Holocaust film formula.The film becomes bogged down in the forest.Far too much cliche riddled speech making .. emphasis on the women characters and an utterly predictable brother to the rescue ending.
Defiance Movie Reviews
Buy a ticket to Bad Boys: Ride or Die Get $5 off the Bad Boys 4-Movie Collection; ... Defiance Critic Reviews and Ratings Powered by Rotten Tomatoes Rate Movie. Close Audience Score. The percentage of users who made a verified movie ticket purchase and rated this 3.5 stars or higher. Learn more. Review Submitted. GOT IT ...
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