Defiance

The film follows the four Bielski brothers as they flee from their village in Belarus into the forest, as the Nazis have placed a price on their Jewish heads. There, their numbers slowly grow. Tuvia (Daniel Craig), the eldest of the Bielski clan, easily fills the role of leader, with the help of brothers Zus (Liev Schreiber) and Asael (Jamie Bell). But with winter comes sickness and difficulty finding food; and with encounters with Nazis and the Red Army come the ethical question of whether or not to seek vengeance. While the story of Jews fighting to retain their freedom during the Holocaust is enticing on its own, it’s really this ethical quandary that keeps the whole thing fresh. Writer and director Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond) doesn’t skirt around it either, instead tackling the issue head-on, as it’s a cause for some major disagreement in camp. Tinseltown. Rated R