DefendorArthur Poppington (2009 Golden Globe® Nominee Woody Harrelson) doesn’t need superpowers or fancy toys to fight crime. Armed only with a childlike sense of wonder and his quirky arsenal of cheap, homemade gadgets, he becomes DEFENDOR! He finds an unexpected partner when he rescues and falls for a local prostitute (Kat Dennings, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist). Can the two of them take down the city’s most fearsome crime boss without getting killed in the process?At first glance, Defendor might look like a slapstick comedy or a low-budget superhero movie, but its DNA lies more with Taxi Driver (though it’s considerably gentler in tone than Martin Scorsese’s classic). Arthur Poppington (Woody Harrelson, Zombieland) just wants to make the world a better place; unfortunately, he’s a bit dim and has delusions of grandeur that lead him to skulk around the urban jungle in a black turtleneck with a duct-taped D on his chest. His floundering but relentless efforts to bring down a drug-dealing pimp and a crooked undercover cop (Elias Koteas, The Adjuster) earn him the respect of a teen prostitute (Kat Dennings, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) and the psychiatrist (Sandra Oh, Sideways) assigned by the court to do a psychiatric evaluation–but that may not be enough to keep him alive when confronted with real danger. The key to Defendor is that, though the plot may be implausible, it’s grounded in realistic and well-drawn characters. The excellent cast (also featuring Michael Kelly, whose face will be familiar from many a supporting role) plays everything vividly real, which keeps Arthur’s struggle compelling. Defendor is a surprisingly sincere and complex movie, worth watching whether you’re a fan of superheroes or not. –Bret Fetzer
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(out of 29 reviews)
Review by Compay for Defendor
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While marketed as a comedy, Defendor is actually a dark and touching crime drama. But while you can’t expect Woody’s comedy antics a la Zombieland, expect one of the best performances of his career.
By day, Arthur Poppington is a construction worker with a below-average IQ. By night, he’s Defendor, dishing out justice with makeshift weapons (reminding us in his gruff Batman voice that “guns are for cowards”). But while the movie starts out light and funny, it evolves into something both dark and sad. With the flood of recent superhero movies, Defendor reminds us that reality isn’t always so super.
The real story here is the unlikely friendship between Defendor and a drug-addicted prostitute, in his ongoing mission to take down Captain Industry. Woody is terrific in the role, bouncing between his wacky self and a vulnerable man-child who still believes in justice.
For this being his first directing gig, Peter Stebbings hits a bullseye. There’s great cinematography and lighting, and Stebbings playfully throws out a few superhero flick cliches. John Rowley serves up one of the best movie scores I’ve heard in a while, with a powerful and dark superhero soundtrack. The supporting cast is also top-notch, from Elias Koteas and Sandra Oh to Clark Johnson (The Wire/Homicide).
You will enjoy this movie if you go into it with the understanding that it’s not a comedy. It’s a dark drama with splashes of humor and violence, and a very powerful ending.
Review by Movie Gal With a Brain for Defendor
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While KICK-ASS (Opening April 16, 2010) got all the press, DEFENDOR has all the heart. A sweet but dark combination of TAXI DRIVER and BATMAN, DEFENDOR answers the question of ‘what if super-heroes’ existed in a very sentimental yet mature manner. Woody Harrelson’s portrayal of Arthur Poppington is just as worthy of an Oscar nomination as his role in THE MESSENGER. Harrelson’s Poppington is a mentally challenged adult dealing with a very dark and tragic childhood by taking on the persona of ‘The Defendor,’ a comic book inspired super-hero. Writer-Director Peter Stebbings captures the true magic and meaning comic book heroes have in our modern society. Placing the innocence of Harrelson’s Poppington/Defendor in the midst of a very real city suffering from corrupt cops, drug dealers, child sex trafficers and abused prostitutes makes for a very unique and adult viewing experience. The film is a sometimes lyrical poem, a sad reminder of how it is and how it would be for a real super-hero. Yet, unlike KICK-ASS, DEFENDOR is a reminder that there is value and valor in morality, courage and doing the right thing in the face powerful evil. DEFENDOR, like KICK-ASS, does goes for the laughs. There are moments of brilliant and hilarious humor to be found here, both dark and sweet. Unlike KICK-ASS, there are also moments of genuine sentiment and inspiration. The two films tell the same story in very different ways. It’s a shame that KICK-ASS will make millions and become a pop-culture hit while DEFENDOR will have to tough it out on home video. Hopefully, DEFENDOR will develop a cult following and in time get the true praise and audience it deserves.
Review by Dan Mcgarry for Defendor
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When I saw the previews of this I thought it would be a formulaic comedy, with Woody Harrelson playing a jerk.
I was surprised to find the previews misleading, and Woody’s character is actually mildly retarded, and somewhat delusional. It has its moments of humor, but none of it is cruel. Arthur is slow and believes he’s a super hero, but no one makes fun of him. In fact they’re all somewhat in awe of him and his misguided beliefs in absolute good and evil. It is poignant and actually has some tear jerk moments, along with its moments of almost slapstick humor.
Bottom line – see it.
Review by L. Morgan for Defendor
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Wasn’t sure about watching this movie at first. but am so glad I did. One of the best I’ve seen in awhile. It’s funny, sad and heart-warming, all at the same time. Woody Harrelson does such a good job playing Defendor! Very well cast movie.
Review by J. Galbraith for Defendor
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How can anyone say this wasn’t a comedy? Woody Harrelson does give one of the best performances of his career in this movie and it is a quite touching story of a mentally challenged crime fighter, but anyone who didn’t think this was funny must have a very, very, dry sense of humor. This was one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in a long, long time. The first half of the movie was much funnier than the second half, but the whole thing was hilarious. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard at a movie. I feel sad for anyone who watches this and doesn’t find the humor in it. I think too many people get depressed watching a Woody’s near perfect portrayal of a mentally challenged person. They are missing the point. The point of this movie is to show how even someone as dumb as this guy can make a difference, all they have to do is WANT to make a difference. Perhaps one of the most heartfelt comedies ever, I really enjoyed how they were able to make such an uplifting and comical story out of such sad content. Woody’s character is not only slow, but he lives in the real world, where people are not nice, and most people will try to take advantage of, or hurt, someone if they think they can. Yeah, it can be depressing for anyone who thinks that’s not the real world, but those people are ignorant, and blind to reality. I think everyone should take away from this movie a sense of desire to not just stand by and allow the world around us to turn to $h*t. If someone like this can stand up to the bad guys, why can’t we? This is not to say that everyone should dress up like super heroes, that ridiculous and not at all what this movie is trying to convince people to do. It simply begs us to question whether or not it’s really that hard to just try to help people. I hope more people can watch this movie and laugh, and cry, and think because that’s what we all need to do.