Woody Harrelson is construction worker by day, self-made superhero by night in Defendor, a comedy that takes aim at society's infatuation with comic-book mythologies. While the city is awake, Arthur Poppington (Harrelson) holds traffic signs, and is nearly invisible to all who pass; after hours, he assumes his secret identity (complete with homemade costume) and prowls the streets in search of his arch nemesis, "Captain Industry." Along the way, he saves a young prostitute (Kat Dennings) from an
abusive undercover cop (Elias Koteas), a move that proves his commitment to fighting for the weak, but also turns him into a real live fugitive from the law. ~ Kimber Myers, Rovi
Stebbings is more interested in deconstructing heroism than creating a concrete world, sapping the movie of the immediacy it needs to come alive. For all its aspirations, the film never meshes into something cohesive or substantial.
The low-budget movie continually shifts from comic-book spoof to gritty crime story to mental-health drama, the inconsistent tone preventing it from ever fully working as one or another.
Stebbings fills Defendor with humorous bits, comic treats dropped in quickly and without fanfare. It gives the movie a proper pace, well punctuated with laughs at the right time, and outrage and sympathy at others.
A weird picture and not always successful selling its ideas, but it definitely retains a determined personality, making the picture convincing on a fundamental level of cinematic ambition, not execution.
While it never seems to really thematically gel and while I would have liked a better script, the actors and vision on display make this a better entry in the teeniest superhero subgenre yet.
This is a deconstruction of the superhero myth that explores the deep rooted sadness and pain that a "hero" must deal with. It's also darkly funny too.
The local police force in Hammertown? They're simply too overwhelmed to care about the recent wave of crime sweeping the city, those that aren't corrupt. And the bad guys, immigrant drug runners, hardly even care themselves, bored beyond tears with the good life, and killing and murdering. The only soul who does
seem to care is a homeless guy (Harrelson, very sympathetic) who's got an I.Q. of maybe 80, tops, and may be a "retard", if not an idiot altogether. His only help is a crack ho, shining him for money for drugs ... can anything good emerge from this veritable shitstorm of filth? Yes, and that's the serio-comic message of hope that this work delivers.
First thing is first, Defendor is not a copy of Kiss-ass because it was made first. Also, apart from one obvious similarity, they are actually completely different films with very little in common. Thirdly, if you view Defendor as a 'superhero' film you will obviously be disappointed because it's not, it's about a man
with learning difficulties. I think this film has been totally overlooked for something it isn't which is a terrible shame because what it is is actually something quite special. The whole superhero philosophy is that these characters become who they are, whether they are heroes or villains, due to mental issues - Childhood traumas/schizophrenia/psychosis etc. so having the lead with a very ordinary mental illness is quite a clever idea. Woody Harrelson is brilliant as Arthur Poppington aka Defendor, playing it subtle when necessary but always convincingly. The message is heartfelt but is never preachy, the subject of mental illness is handled respectfully and it is genuinely funny. For me Arthur Poppington/Defendor has to be one of my favourite film characters I've seen for a long time, this is a misunderstood gem of a film.
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