Defiance

The World War II actioner Defiance is based on an amazing true story of three Jewish brothers who escaped into the woods, setting up a base to shelter survivors and execute guerrilla attacks against the Nazis. Of course, the movie is made by Edward Zwick, the lionizing, crane-shot-happy director of Glory, Legends of the Fall, and Blood Diamond, so any resemblance to the actual truth is purely coincidental. Defiance is undeniably entertaining and action-packed, but it skirts the ridiculous far too often. Zwick fills the refugee camp with every imaginable stereotype, and Daniel Craig’s lead role of Tuvia Bielski is written as a typical idiotic Hollywood hero. Craig does all of the inspiring-speech-on-horseback scenes, a heavy burden now that they’ve become mandatory in action films; Liev Schreiber fares much better as the conflicted, bloodthirsty brother Zus.