DEFIANCE ***

Edward Zwick directed this war drama which stars: Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, and Jamie Bell. Rated R for violence and language. Run time is two hours and 17 minutes. Filmed on location in Lithuania.

Based on an extraordinary true story which spans 1941-1945, three brothers (Craig, Schreiber and Bell), after escaping almost certain death, take refuge in the dense surrounding woods they have known since childhood. They turn a primitive struggle to survive into a way to avenge the deaths of their loved ones by saving thousands of others.

This is a well done, engrossing film which has even more impact because it's about events that really happened. Many of the children and grandchildren of the people you'll see portrayed in this film are alive and living in the United States and offered the filmakers details about occurances you'll see. Other than Craig and Schreiber, most of the cast are not well known in this country which also adds realism to the story. While the arc of the story is uplifting, many of the events shown are extremely, graphically brutal, making the rating well deserved. This will be best appreciated on a big screen with good sound