2008 saw a decent release of WWII themed big budget films. Two big budget films though battled for box office supremacy though, "Valkyrie" and "Defiance." By all accounts, "Defiance" was a box office dud, raking in a US take of around $28million, a sum "Valkyrie" nearly surpassed in its first weekend out. Both films however, shared a common problem: mediocrity. Where "Valkyrie" relied on false tension to turn its telling of the failed July 20th plot into a taut thriller, "Defiance" takes a largely unheard of tale of a group of common men fighting to save themselves and others, and strays into melodrama territory.

"Defiance" tells of the Bielski brothers or (Bielski partisans as history refers to them), a group of four brothers who were thrust into action following the raid on their village that left their family killed. The oldest brothers Tuvia (Daniel Craig) and Zus (Liev Schreiber) become the focal points of the film in terms of characterization and reflect opposite ideology. The other two brothers, Asael (Jamie Bell) and Aron (George MacKay) play important roles as well, although Aron is relegated often to scenery (perhaps a choice made due to his current real-life troubles resulting in defrauding a fellow Holocaust survivor just a few years ago). Tuvia becomes the first brother to embrace violence, in one of the film's most intense scenes as he executes the man responsible along with his two co-conspirator sons. This is a scene that sets the ambiguous moral theme of the film, can these kill without becoming the enemy themselves?

As the story of the survivors' camp unfolds, Tuvia undergoes a character change, realizing he will be forever haunted by his revenge. He turns his efforts to making sure no survivor is turned away, while Zus, devastated by news of his wife and child's death embraces revenge. Craig and Schreiber are the highlights of this film and give truly career defining performances. I have been a fan of Schreiber since his haunting performance in the remake of "The Manchurian Candidate" and find him to be a bright spot in even the dullest films ("X-Men Origins: Wolverine" springs to mind). The early scene in the film where Zus learns of the loss of his family takes Schreiber from a cocky hulk, to a wounded emotionally destroyed soul. Craig takes the task of being the emotional level of the film, fighting his own right to mourn in hopes of keeping the survivors motivated to thrive, even while facing the most grim conditions (at points in the film, things seem so bleak that some regret not getting sent to death camps).

Despite these strong performances, amazing true events, and powerful themes to build off of, director Edward Zwick ("Glory," "Legends of the Fall," "The Last Samurai") sticks to his vague formula of filmmaking. Zwick has been a hit or miss director to me. While I was able to thoroughly enjoy the broad melodrama of "Legends of the Fall," this style showed its flaws in "The Last Samurai," and unfortunately, Zwick draws upon the same style of narrative structure here. Zwick takes too long to tell the story and at stretches of the film feel tedious. We get more than one fierce battle of words between brothers that feels like made for one of those quick shots in the film trailer to hook audiences. Likewise, the action scenes go from brutal snippets of reality to overly stylized pieces of grandeur. A raid for medicine is filmed in a bizarre hybrid of newsreel camera work and John Woo-lite action. When a love interest enters Tuvia's life towards the latter half of the film, the connection to "The Last Samurai" style of pacing becomes painfully clear.

Zwick's approach to "The Last Samurai" worked perfectly fine for that movie, since it was a fictional tale, but to impose that type of structure on real and very serious events undermines the heroism and sacrifices of all involved. Zwick is obviously comfortable with his style, but even looking back at "Glory," reveals this technique making real events feel cheap, despite a marvelous cast.

Finally, I must give special mention to composer James Newton Howard, who scored an Oscar nomination here with a score as fantastic as the acting. Howard never tires to steal the spotlight for himself and instead lends his score to enhance the film as a good score should. Cinematographer Eduardo Serra, lends the film a gritty look in the first act that turns into an almost surreal dreamlike state towards the end where conditions in the camp are deadly silent and grim. He brings out the beauty in the scenery that is a stark contrast to the events taking place throughout them.

"Defiance" isn't the action masterpiece its trailer tried to paint it as. It's a more than admirable effort at telling what is likely one of many, untold stories of WWII. Edward Zwick delivers an above average film that only stands out due to the casting of some truly brilliant men. The flaws however, make this film hold up less favorably than even "Valkyrie."

The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation is pleasant, but definitely not reference quality. There is some noticeable edge enhancement towards the beginning when the forest settings are lush and green. Unfortunately these scenes highlight some of the failings with the transfer. There is little detail to these backgrounds and on more than one occasion the characters look like they are standing in front of a vague mass of earth tones. When the film enters winter settings, the transfer begins to look more like one would expect from a big budget 2008 film.

The Audio

The 5.1 Dolby Digital English audio is much more in line with what one would expect from this film. The balance is perfect with voices being heard easily and the action scenes never becoming overpowering. James Newton Howard's Oscar nominated score is mixed in well and comes across perfectly to underscore important scenes and add additional level of emotion. 5.1 French and Spanish tracks are available as are English, French, and Spanish subtitles.

The Extras

The primary extra is a feature-length commentary by Zwick. He's clear and to the point about his work on the film. All in all, his track will be appreciated by the technical minded. "Return to the Forest: The Making of Defiance" is the expected talking head featurettes that gathers cast and crew to talk about their work on the film. Some of Zwick's comments here seem to support my theory that he's comfortable with sticking to a rough formula when making these kinds of films. "Children of the Otriad: The Families Speak" is a truly amazing, but brief featurettes gathering the children and grandchildren of the Bielskis as they share memories of growing up with these men. It becomes apparent these men were never boastful of their actions. The son of Zus recalls learning what his father did only after asking him one day about his scars. The most moving moments are the stories of survivors and descendents of survivors coming to visit the men and thank them for what they did, along with home movies showing the men being able to live a normal happy life. This segment is criminally short in my opinion. "Bielski Partisan Survivors" rounds out the supplements and is a couple minute collection of photographs taken by Zwick of the camp survivors in late 2008.

"Defiance" delivers a slightly overlong tale helmed by strong performances from both Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber. While it is a bit of a letdown in terms of technical presentation, the bonus content does elevate the complete package slightly. The film will appeal most to WWII enthusiasts as well as fans of the actors themselves. Everyone else should be prepared for a remarkable tale that gets snagged along the ways by some uncreative filmmaking. Recommended.