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.
Acting
Craig's haunted eyes say everything the script doesn't.
Cinematography
The forest becomes a character—beautiful and lethal.
Direction
Zwick balances spectacle with the quiet horror of impossible choices.
Director
Edward Zwick
Daniel Craig
Tuvia Bielski
Liev Schreiber
Zus Bielski
Jamie Bell
Asael Bielski
Alexa Davalos
Lilka Ticktin
Allan Corduner
Shimon Haretz
Mark Feuerstein
Isaac Malbin
Tomas Arana
Ben Zion Gulkowitz
Jodhi May
Tamara Skidelsky
Kate Fahy
Riva Reich
Iddo Goldberg
Yitzhak Shulman
Iben Hjejle
Bella
Martin Hancock
Peretz Shorshaty
Ravil Isyanov
Viktor Panchenko
Jacek Koman
Konstanty "Koscik" Kozlowski
George MacKay
Aron Bielski
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Surviving Bielski partisans consulted on production; many descendants attended the premiere in Belarus.
The film sparked controversy in Poland for allegedly minimizing Polish resistance and exaggerating Jewish-Soviet cooperation—historians still debate its balance.
US
