VividSimon Simply Perfect

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

HumanoidOfFlesh Jan-Michael Vincent portrays a suspended young seaman who takes up temporary housing in a neighborhood overrun by a gang,while waiting for his next orders to ship out.The gang is in dominating control.They steal and rob at will.No one will press charges due to fear of retribution.So he takes matters into his own hands to combat the growing violence spurring his fellow neighbors to join him.I remember seeing "Defiance" on Polish TV many years ago.I am also a big fan of John Flynn's earlier revenge thriller "Rolling Thunder"."Definace" doesn't disappoint.It's a gritty drama/thriller with excellent central performance of Jan-Michael Vincent.The look of the film is ugly and washed out,but the violence is kept to minimum.A must-see for fans of "Death Wish","The Warriors" and the likes.8 out of 10.

wca720 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.

zardoz-13 The classic western hero is a lone stranger who rides into a town terrorized by a gang of ruthless ruffians. The townspeople let these ruffians prey on them because they are either too weak or too cowardly to drive them out.Meanwhile, the hoer is in the town out of some necessity. He prefers to mind his own business and look the other way. He is "just passing through" and doesn't plan to get entangled in the woes of others. Someway or somehow, however, the townspeople's fight becomes his fight, and he must stand up to the predators.When you think of this classic western hero, movies like George Stevens' "Shane" with Alan Ladd or John Sturges' "Bad Day at Black Rock" with Spencer Tracy come to mind. Indeed, westerns classics or otherwise are not being made in the numbers that they used to appear in on the silver screen. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean the classic western hero has vanished. He is alive, well and kicking ass in John Flynn's "Defiance" with Jan-Michael Vincent. "Defiance" is one of the few decent movies—along with Michael Winner's "The Mechanic"—that Vincent made before he destroyed his life with alcohol, narcotics, and various other forms of abuse.The setting of "Defiance" is not the old West. Instead, this tale of urban terror is set in the east side slums of contemporary New York City. The hero Tom Gamble, played with good natured but stalwart gusto by Vincent neither carries a six-gun nor rides a horse.Gamble is a footloose mariner laid over in town following his six-month suspension by his union for brawling. He is "just passing through" and he is eagerly awaiting the next ship out of town. The first ship is bound for South America, but he has to learn Spanish before he can get hired onto it.Gamble rents a cheap apartment and spends his time studying Spanish and drinking beer. Before long he gang that roans the neighborhood—they call themselves 'The Souls'—take an interest in the stranger.The Souls attack a young boy that Gamble has befriended, rob a bingo game, and murder a retired boxing champ. Along the way, they manage to beat up Tom Gamble, too. But Gamble gets back on his feet and goes after these thugs.The screenplay by producer Thomas Michael Donnelly is predictable, strictly a formula driven revenge actioneer. It appears as if Donnelly culled memorable scenes from "The Magnificent Seven," "Death Wish," "Billy Jack," and "High Noon" to make up his script.Imitative though it may be, "Defiance" is definitely a superior effort. There are no car chases or shoot-outs. It is knives, fists, and Louisville sluggers. The dialogue sounds realistic and the characters are well-rounded by both Donnelly's script and a talented cast.John Flynn, who directed "Defiance," has called the shots of several minor masterpieces such as "The Sergeant" with Rod Steiger, "The Outfit" with Robert Duvall, and "Rolling Thunder" with William Devane. Flynn specializes in tough, realistic, little action epics that recall the studio-bound James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart thrillers that Warner Brothers ground out in the 1930s and 1940s. Flynn crafts his movies with both economy and imagination. "Defiance" qualified as Flynn's best film when he came out in 1980 and a sleeper, too. Flynn has a knack for creating atmospheric situations and staging exciting rough & tumble fights that put to good use in "Defiance." He builds the action to a pressure cooker climax that explodes in a rousing finale. There isn't a slack moment in this fast-paced melodrama that has it share of humorous interludes.Jan Michael Vincent delivers his finest, most mature performance. Although he clenches his jaws and knuckles his fists, he never plays Tom Gamble as a muscle-bound moron. As Gamble, he is a modest, ordinary hombre who stand up for what he believes in and rejects any phony claims to being a hero.Art Carney is featured in a small role as a Jewish storekeeper who rebels against The Souls and gets severely beaten for his defiance. Rudy Ramos nearly steals the movie as the kingpin villain who heads up The Souls.Altogether, "Defiance" is a little movie. There is nothing pretentious about it. Moreover, it is not profane, lewd, or gratuitous. The ending is happy, and the theme of the community that rejuvenates itself is inspiring without being dripping with too much sentiment.

mcbride57 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.