This story, offered incredible acting along with a great screenplay. The reviews that I read pretty much say it all... with the exception of one reviewer stating the performances were "conventionally epic in style and tended to overdramatize." This person apparently was not able to grasp the magnitude of what The Bielski Brothers were up against, not to mention the thousands of Jews who were willing to take unimaginable risks for the sake of their freedom from a hateful Nazi presence.