The Bielski brothers were heroes and role models in the deepest sense of the word. During the Holocaust, when the darker side of human nature manifested itself day by day, they fought back ferociously and behaved selflessly.

At the end of 1941, after their parents were murdered by the Nazis in eastern Poland, they formed a partisan band and lived off the land. The Bielskis could have left it at that and concerned themselves solely with self-preservation. Instead, they risked their lives by inviting other Jews, hunted relentlessly by the Nazis and their collaborators, to join their encampment in the depths of the forest.

Historian Nechama Tec wrote a book about the Bielskis, and three years ago, the History Channel broadcast a documentary about them. Edward Zwick, director of Blood Diamond, has followed suit with Defiance, which opened last week.

Starring Daniel Craig –the new James Bond – as Tuvia, one of the brothers, Defiance is aptly titled. The Bielskis are  strong, resolute and courageous, and if they must die, they will go down fighting a ruthless enemy. In the film, appropriately enough, they are likened to the ancient Maccabee warriors, who fought for the Jewish people’s freedom.

At more than 130 minutes, Defiance might seem excessively long, but in fact it is not and it flows smoothly. And thankfully, it seems historically accurate.

The movie opens with an unusual flourish. Documentary footage of Adolf Hitler stiffly stretching out his arm during one of his ranting speeches dissolves into what appears to be file footage of Nazis rounding up Jews.

This, in turn, fades into Defiance as the two elder Bielskis, Tuvia and Zus (Liev Schreiber), reach their parents’ farm and discover they have been murdered. The youngest brother, Asael (Jamie Bell), has survived the massacre.

A Polish peasant who has hidden Jews in his barn informs the Bielskis that the killer is the local police chief. Seeking vengeance, Tuvia tracks him down, coolly shooting him in the presence of his wife and two sons.

When the Polish farmer is no longer able to hide Jews, Tuvia takes them under his wing. Zus protests, saying they are short of food, but Tuvia prevails. Tuvia and Zus also disagree on another matter. Zus, hot-headed, is eager to kill Germans, but Tuvia is more restrained. “We must not become like them,” he says.

Yet restraint goes only so far. Eventually, Tuvia participates in retaliatory attacks on collaborators and German patrols. Zwick handles these scenes expertly, creating high tension.

The film is also good at portraying the life and the hardships the partisans endured in the forest.

The Bielski camps, comprising dugouts, bunkers and household structures, were quite sophisticated, given the scarcity of supplies. Yet the partisans suffered from hunger and disease, particularly in winter.

To ease the pain, the men took “forest wives,” hooking up with women who sought protection. Tuvia’s love interest is played by Alexa Davalos.

Zus ends up joining a Red Amy partisan unit. The Soviet commander is surprised by Zus’ combative spirit. “Jews do not fight,” he says, echoing an anti-Semitic stereotype. “These Jews do,” retorts Zus.

But even as they prove themselves on the battlefield, Jewish fighters embedded with the Red Army encounter grassroots anti-Semitism, which the  Russian commander downplays at first.

Certainly, Tuvia demolishes all anti-Semitic myths about Jews. As he sits on a white stallion, resplendent on the saddle, a Jewish boy can hardly believe what he sees. “He is a Jew?” he asks his mother rather incredulously.

As Defiance unfolds, Tuvia grows  still stronger and tougher. When a man sharply questions his authority, he shoots him and orders his corpse to be placed in the woods for the wolves.

There are several riveting sequences, and one of the best is a battle scene in which Tuvia’s partisans confront a German division spearheaded by a tank.

In yet another unforgettable scene, the Jews in the Bielski camp fall upon a captured German soldier who, in vain, pleads for mercy.

Defiance is never less than interesting, but generally, it is not as gripping as it might have been.

Nonetheless, the cast is uniformly excellent, and Craig and Schreiber are especially effective in their respective roles.

Despite its weaknesses, Defiance tells an important story and tells it reasonably well.