DamianThorn This movie really knocks you down. It's solidly written, filmed and stacked with an excellent cast. The location is perfect, the era is captured beautifully...I mean there's just nothing to complain about with this film.Starring a young Jan Michael Vincent, this really is a flawless example of a reluctant hero story. A sailor named Tommy (Vincent) is temporarily suspended for fighting with a fellow crew member and finds himself stuck in a rundown slum in New York. Hating living in the city, he just can't wait to get back out to sea. Almost immediately though, being the new face in the neighborhood he becomes the target of a street gang and clashes with them repeatedly. Not looking for trouble, Tommy just tries to avoid the gang and bide his time until he can get back to work. He does the same with the residents of his temporary home.Tommy doesn't want to get attached because he just wants to move on. But the longer he stays the more he begins to like the people he meets. He begins to fall in love with a local girl and befriends a homeless boy. Try as he might, he just can't help but be drawn in by the good people in a place he thought he would hate. Simultaneously he gets dragged into facing down the neighborhood thugs time and time again. Historically, many figures from our past have been reluctant to get involved in whatever battle they wound up fighting. From Wyatt Earp to Wild Bill Hickock, Alvin York to Bernhard Goetz history is full of real life people who really didn't want to get involved in defending others or standing up for justice when the law failed to but wound up doing it anyway. Even the United States itself was reluctant to become involved in World War II and Canada was reluctant to enter the Afghan and Iraq wars. Deep down inside some people, as much as they desire to avoid a fight and seek instead to live in peace, when they face injustice they simply can't help but become involved and defend those who can't defend themselves. Sometimes some people when pushed, push back and if pushed far enough will push back hard. Even to the extent of killing if need be.Forgive me for rambling...but that really is what this movie is all about and it is so well put together that you understand the central character perfectly. Your never frustrated with him, you never see him as a coward. You just see a man who wants peace but winds up in a war. There's even more to this movie than that, there's a lot of dramatic moments and even moments that tug at your heart but I don't want to spoil the film for you by revealing to much. On the surface this movie may sound like any other revenge or vigilante movie but it's far from it.If your a fan of those genres, you'll definitely find this movie enjoyable but even if your not typically into movies like Death Wish (1974) or Rolling Thunder (1977) you can easily get into this movie. There's an excellent story worth sinking into here and an excellent cast that makes this movie much more than it would have been otherwise. Don't let the PG rating fool you either. Sure, there's no sex nudity gore excessive violence or even foul language but keep in mind that some of the best films in history had none of that.Don't get me wrong, I love watching Charles Bronson and Clint Eastwood blow away the scumbag thugs as much as anybody. But I can also appreciate a good clean film that excels in all regards the way this one does. In fact, I find it admirable that the people who made Defiance managed to make it so dam good and yet wind up with a PG rating. It's movies like this, the rare under rated gems that you hardly ever hear about but that knock you over and leave you smiling when the credits roll...these are the movies that keep me going. They keep me searching for films I haven't seen and keep me believing there's still good movies out there for me discover. Give this one a try, I bet you'll never forget it for the rest of your life. I would also bet if your not familiar with Jan Michael Vincent this movie will have you hunting down more of his work.

DebonairDude715 This entertaining but often overlooked film stars Jan-Michael Vincent as a seaman who must temporarily reside on the tough, crime-filled and gang-infested streets of New York, where he is persuaded by fearful residents to join them in their war against "The Souls," a local Puerto Rican gang led by Angel Cruz (played by the underrated Rudy Ramos, who would later work on "Quicksilver" (1985) with Kevin Bacon). "Defiance" was filmed mostly in New York's East Village (specifically on 12th Street between Avenue A and B) at a time when street gangs did in fact control that particular area of Lower Manhattan. This film brings to mind the highly controversial release "The Warriors" (1979), about a group of young fighters framed by a rival gang. Director John Flynn is dead on with the emotional aspect of the film, capturing the heart-wrenching struggle between good and evil, the romance between Tommy (Vincent) and Marsha (Theresa Saldana) and the brutal and poignant deaths of two characters - Whacko (Lenny Montana, who played Luca Brasi in "The Godfather" (1972)) and Abe (Art Carney). Highly recommended for cult film enthusiasts. I would love to see a DVD edition in the near future by MGM/UA (formerly Orion).

sirnando Jan Michael Vincent steps into Charles Bronson Territory in this great Exploitation Masterpiece. Vincent plays a merchant Marine who moves to the South Bronx and Ends up mixing it up with a vicious Puerto Rican gang. Led by the Immortal Rudy Ramos who plays the gangleader "Angel" who plays the thug with just the right amount of street punk-aristocratic flair that every street gang leader should exhibit. Ramos & Screenwriter Tom Donnelly would team up in the Kevin Bacon Classic "Quicksilver", where Ramos plays the villainous Gypsy in that one. Unfortunately, the Tom Donnelly/Ramos collaboration dries up by the time Donnelly helms "Blindsided". Getting back to "Defiance", The guy who played Luca Brasse in the Godfather plays an Ex-boxer called Wacko ( Don't ask me who came up with that name.) Art Carney plays a jewish Grocery store Owner....Danny Aielo also> embarrases himself in this one.....And if you look Closely , you'll find the Guy who plays Paulie Walnuts on the Sopranos. If you like this film check out "Quicksilver".

Rakinik 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.