Defendor (2009): You Must See This Movie


All posts in this blog are intended to highlight movies (either really good or really bad) that run the risk of being overlooked by the public. Great movies that are well known to the general public need not apply.

The following movie is in the Good category:

Defendor stars Woody Harrelson as Arthur Poppington, a man with a developmental disability who puts on a makeshift costume and fights crime as Defendor while seeking out Captain Industry, whom he believes killed his parents. Along the way he meets and befriends a street worker, Kat Debrofkowitz (Kat Dennings).

This movie, by first time director Peter Stebbings could have gone horribly wrong. When your lead character has a developmental disability, the acting needs to be a bit restrained, and Harrelson has been known to overact at times. Thankfully here he hits the right note. Arthur is sympathetic but believable, neither a caricature nor some idealized person with a disability; he’s no Forrest Gump spouting words of wisdom whenever he speaks. His innocence perhaps makes him a nicer person, but it causes him to make critical mistakes. Despite his disability he has a bit of a knack for low budget crime fighting, including collecting wasps that he keeps in jars for use as weapons. However, he doesn’t have any powers not larger than life combat skills. The prostitute with a heart of gold is a bit of a cliché, but Dennings does a good job of making her character vulnerable and grounded in the real world.

While billed as a comedy, the movie has a fairly dark, if somewhat optimistic tone. This is one of the more realistic superhero movies ever made, even more so than Super, which covers similar ground. It also has considerable heart to it. You must see this movie.

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