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Defiance

Play trailer Poster for Defiance PG Released Mar 14, 1980 1h 43m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 4 Reviews 52% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Merchant mariner Tommy (Jan-Michael Vincent) is stuck in New York's Lower East Side, waiting for his next ship to sail. He mostly keeps to himself, though he takes a liking to a pretty local woman named Marsha (Theresa Saldana). But he also finds that the neighborhood is plagued by a rough, violent gang called the Souls, led by Angel (Rudy Ramos). Tommy stands up to the gang, and his behavior encourages others in the neighborhood to fight back against their tormentors.
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Defiance

Critics Reviews

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Photoplay Staff Photoplay Vincent is one of the most dependable heroes around. Exciting, hard-hitting, even touching. Sep 22, 2024 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Atmospheric but simplistic urban gang drama. Rated: B- Aug 9, 2017 Full Review Karina Montgomery Cinerina As a WWII story, it's inspiring, and even new. As a film, it's tense and nerve-wracking and sobering. It's a simple, solid movie, worth seeing indeed, but I fear more like a satisfying Chinese dinner over time. See it before the world forgets about it. Rated: 4/5 Dec 15, 2009 Full Review Avi Offer NYC Movie Guru If only it were to have an organic, sensitive screenplay that paid closer attention to its characters and focused more on their thoughts and feelings throughout their intense experiences, Defiance would have been a much more powerful and engrossing film. Rated: 4/10 Jan 30, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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delysid d Jan Michael Vincent is a forgotten hero Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/17/21 Full Review Audience Member Quando Nova Iorque é a personagem mais importante de "Defiance", isso diz quase tudo sobre os restantes participantes numa história de um forasteiro que vem passar algum tempo a um bairro aterrorizado por um gangue de tipos muito maus (enquanto criminosos e actores). Mas a mediocridade deste argumento não impede Nova Iorque de se revelar em toda a sua sujidade gloriosa da transição dos anos 70 para os 80. E há sempre qualquer coisa de especial num filme em que Danny Aiello (o protótipo do cidadão nova-iorquino) defende o seu bairro com orgulho. Há também que estar atento a umas quantas boas intervenções de Tony Sirico (ainda sem madeixas e muito antes de ser o Paulie dos "Sopranos"). De resto devo dizer que tenho dificuldade em resistir a um filme em que o herói dá sova nos arruaceiros ao som de um bom hard rock. Pode até então ser que, muito devido ao seu charme de época, "Defiance" não seja assim tão fraco, mesmo que John Flynn (realizador fixado em vigilantes e vingadores de bairro) tenha feito muito melhor em "Rolling Thunder". Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member A text book inner city, vigilante drama from legendary director John Flynn. As usual a really camp gang are harrassing the neighborhood, until a stranger (Vincent) arrives and says enough is enough. Danny Aiello running around in his T-Bird style leather jacket is one of the finest moments in the history of cinema. Good support from Lenny Montana and a jet back haired Paulie Walnuts. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Not bad at all. Contains a typical 1970s way of shooting cinema and a decent storyline not unlike Death Wish. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member An out of work docker is forced to take up residence in a New York City project. The local gang the souls are a plaque on this once proud and united community. It is time to fight back and flush out the scum. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member A newcomer to a dilapidated New York neighbourhood quickly runs afoul with The Souls street gang who beat up kids, old men and specialize in spoiling Church bingos. Police are predictably helpless until citizens take the law into their own hands. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Defiance

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Cast & Crew

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John Flynn

Director

Jan-Michael Vincent

Tommy

Art Carney

Abe

Theresa Saldana

Marsha

Fernando Lopez

Kid

Danny Aiello

Carmine
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Defiance

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Movie Info

Synopsis Merchant mariner Tommy (Jan-Michael Vincent) is stuck in New York's Lower East Side, waiting for his next ship to sail. He mostly keeps to himself, though he takes a liking to a pretty local woman named Marsha (Theresa Saldana). But he also finds that the neighborhood is plagued by a rough, violent gang called the Souls, led by Angel (Rudy Ramos). Tommy stands up to the gang, and his behavior encourages others in the neighborhood to fight back against their tormentors.
Director
John Flynn
Producer
William S. Gilmore, Jerry Bruckheimer
Screenwriter
Thomas Michael Donnelly
Production Co
American International Pictures (AIP), Necta Productions
Rating
PG
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 14, 1980, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 17, 2017
Runtime
1h 43m
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