Daniel Craig’s Forgotten WWII Drama Heads to New Streamer

Two years after his smashing debut as James Bond in the film Casino Royale, Daniel Craig returned as Agent 007 in Quantum of Solace, a project that was hobbled by production difficulties and mediocre reviews. In the same year, Craig capitalized on his newfound stardom with a rather unusual film, a World War II action-drama titled Defiance. The movie made little impact at the box office during its theatrical run, and remains a largely forgotten entry on Craig’s resume. Audiences will get to experience the film, perhaps for the first time, as it debuts on the Paramount Plus streaming service this month.

Based on the true story of four brothers who helped Jews escape persecution during WWII, the movie also features Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell and George MacKay. Along with Craig, they played the Bielski brothers. The movie was directed by the journeyman filmmaker Edward Zwick, who has also made The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond, and Glory, and has worked with stars such as Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Denzel Washington.

Despite experiencing a high level of success, however, Zwick has struggled to form an identity through his work. Defiance is currently sitting at a 58% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus sums up the filmmaker’s career: “Professionally made but artistically uninspired, Ed Zwick’s story of Jews surviving WWII in the Belarus forest lacks the emotional punch of the actual history.” Produced on a reported budget of around $30 million, Defiancegrossed around $50 million at the worldwide box office, making it a commercial underperformer.

Daniel Craig Has Found a Great Post-Bond Franchise for Himself

Craig is set to return as the detective Benoit Blanc in the third installment of the hit Knives Out franchise of murder mystery movies, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. The film is slated to be released on Netflix in December, following a premiere in September that earned it terrific reviews. Wake Up Dead Man is sitting at a 94% score on RT, with Collider’s Ross Bonaime describing it as a “twistier, darker, and more emotional than the previous two installments.” You can watch the film on Netflix starting December 12.

Defiance is now streaming on Paramount Plus. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.