Defiance (1980)

Am I Missing Something?

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

movie was OK-- People seem to either LOVE it or have never heard of it.I didn't love it--i actually thought it was pretty average---but its not a bad watch by any means either. (kinda reminded me of The Substitute actually) Jan Michael Vincent is very Patrick Swayze in this movie. (looks like, sounds like, acts like) This could've been a movie with Patrick Swayze if it was made a decade later.Danny Aiello is fun to see here tho---love the sequence in which he and Jan Michael beat the crap out of the gang leader's car towards the end. (very Mystery Men of them!) If you ever wanna see how gritty NYC was before it got outrageously expensive and overly hipster--you should definitely check this out tho. One of the best things about seeing it was that there was a Q and A with one of the co-stars/writers of the film and he said the studio kept telling him and the cast and crew not too wander too far away from the set when they were shooting at night---otherwise they'd encounter the real version of these guys! (dig that subway station where the gang beats up Jan Michael at the beginning of the film tho--you'd never really think of a subway station as being particularly clean or dirty--cause its the subway--its always gonna be dirty no matter what! but its sparkling clean today compared to how it was back then---and you can see that for yourself here in this movie!) Art Carney is always welcome in my neighborhood tho. (i can't believe young gang-bangers especially in NYC wouldn't recognize Art Carney/Ed Norton---The Honeymooners ran every single night at 11 30 in NYC for years and years and years on a local station---in the early 80's there's no way they wouldn't know of him--even if this is fiction and Art Carney is much older then he was when he was Ed Norton! God help me I will never forgive that actor for having the same name as the sidekick on the honeymooners! its just not right that every time someone mentions Art Carney---the actor Ed Norton has to spring to mind and i gotta specify no not Ed Norton the actor--I mean Ed Norton the character!)

I think this is JMV's finest Hour and a half on film besides AIRWOLF and why this isn't out on DVD yet is beyond me. With all the crap they they do have out now, I would have thought I could find this somewhere but alas, I can't but thank god I have it on VHS when I copied it years ago for my own personal use.You have already read the storyline from the rest of the comments up there so take my word for it, this flick is worth watching if you like "Gangs tearing up the neighborhood and the good guys kick their asses in the end" movies.It's just a shame the JMV's career has since gone down the toilet.

For me, DEFIANCE was/is a film that delivered. Is it 'high art'?--I dunno. But it sure held my interest. JMV is our reluctant hero, 'Tom'. A merchant seaman, stranded in New York because of a beef on the job, near penniless Tom is forced to seek cheap digs in a slum rental while he waits for another ship assignment. He quickly crosses paths with 'The Souls', the Latino gang that holds the neighborhood in a grip of terror.Tom is no white knight or crusader. A world weary pragmatist, he's just a guy trying to keep to himself until he can catch that much-needed next freighter out to sea. Though not an immediate champion of justice, neither is Tom indifferent to the suffering of others and gradually he finds himself being drawn into the lives of several of the local residents.It is the leader of the Souls gang, 'Angel', with his determination to maintain his grip on his turf, and interloper Tom, with his stubborn refusal to abandon his newly made friends, who ignite the inevitable final--and highly satisfying--confrontation.Is DEFIANCE a film filled with startling plot twists and dazzling production value? No. But I found it to be highly entertaining with real sincerity--and it continues to please me after repeated viewings. All hands involved in this production deserve praise for working within their limited budget to craft a tough, tender and edgy action/drama where an average fella, who cannot ignore his heart, takes a huge risk to correct a great injustice.Is it SHANE?--Naw. (But what is?) I will tell you this: this flick delivers a whole fist-full of solid scenes. Fer instance: the moment when Tom draws his 'line in the sand'. Waiting until cover of darkness, Tom strides out of the shadows, club in hand, and begins to demolish Angel's beloved 'low rider' as an invitation to the gang--"Come and get me."That scene works on EVERY level: script, direction, photography, JMV's smoldering fury, the startling, hot musical score that punctuates the moment--IT ALL WORKS! It gave me goose bumps the first time and it still gives me a kick to this day. DEFIANCE had me in it's grip: "Yeah, Tom! Screw the consequences! Let's take it to these vicious punks."This flick never had anywhere near the budget or status of say, a DIE HARD, but it sure has the heart. In the early '80s, as I lived in my tiny apartment in Hollywood and struggled to write, I kept a tattered DEFIANCE poster tacked to my wall for inspiration.DEFIANCE: a solid, commendable script, in the hands of a no-nonsense, focused director, who's leading a sincere and supportive cast--all in pursuit of a simple, but meaningful, action/morality tale that can't help but touch you on some level if you believe in justice and decency. Not too shabby, folks. Not too shabby at all.Now I just wish somebody would get DEFIANCE onto a proper DVD (and throw in a few extras like cast/crew interviews, a trailer, maybe even some out-takes). I'd buy a copy in a heartbeat. And five more for some friends.

Back when Jan Michael Vincent could be recognized, physically and vocally, and he had so much going for him he slipped this smallish cheesy cult classic into his filmography. Tommy Gamble is a sea merchant suspended for fighting. He gets stuck in a tough rundown New York neighborhood while he waits to get reinstated so he can catch a ship out of the scummy rough neighborhood overrun by the hoods and thugs (laughable & absurd 'Cholo' gang stereotypes) known as the 'Souls'. During his stay he has multiple run-ins with the Souls and stands up to their antics and bullying, showing the neighborhood that fighting back may be the answer to their problems. The plot is a tad thin but, like screenwriter Walter Hill's other efforts, there is a surreal atmosphere that is a lot harder to find in films these days. The acting is good and you don't feel like these actors are surrounded by cameras like most films today. The supporting cast includes actors Danny Aiello and Art Carney but there are few others who are memorable. It's a very hard film to find but it's a good watch if you have nothing else to do on a very late Saturday night.