Country: Canada / USA / UK
Genre: Drama / Fantasy / Sci-Fi
Direction: Peter Stebbings
Cast: Kat Dennings, Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Sandra Oh, Lisa Ray, Kristin Booth, Michael Kelly, Charlotte Sullivan, Tatiana Maslany, Tony Nappo
A crooked cop, a mob boss and the young girl they abuse are the denizens of a city's criminal underworld. It's a world that ordinary Arthur Poppington doesn't understand and doesn't belong in, but is committed to fighting when he changes into a vigilante super-hero of his own making, Defendor. With no power other than courage Defendor takes to the streets to protect the city's innocents.
Download Defendor (2009)
Movie Review:
Director/writer Peter Stebbing's amazingly succeeds with his debut feature, the comic book of a film "Defendor". Though it falters in some aspects, the film just goes to show it deserves the attention it previously received when premiered at last year's Toronto International Film Festival.
"Defendor" follows the exploits of the emotionally crippled, construction worker addicted to comic books, Arthur Poppington (Woody Harrelson). At night, this ordinary man transforms into the crime-fighting hero known as the Defendor. Unfortunately, unlike any typical comic book hero, he does not possess neither superpowers nor poetically charming language. His quests are fueled by his desperate pursuit verging into obsession search for his mysterious nemesis Captain Industry. In the process he crashes path with a crooked cop (Elias Koteas) and a young prostitute (Kat Dennings).
In general, the plot of the film is not entirely exciting at the beginning. It's very much your typical straight-out-from-the-comic-book hero only minus all the superb effects and drama involved. Despite all these seemingly boring focus of the film, in reality it turns out to be something audience would be drawn to. The removal of all the supernatural effects converts the film into something more appropriate and realistic for the times.
What really carries the film and prevents it from sinking into the world of the forgotten is Stebbing's superb cast. Sandra Oh who portrays a small role as the psychiatrist who attempts to prove Arthur is not delusional is entirely convincing. Other stars involved such as Elias Koteas and A.C. Peterson never disappoint their roles as well as they bring justice to each of their assignments. Kat Dennings as the prostitute is highly suited for her role as she turns out as a crucial factor in the life of lead Arthur.
Most praise however goes to Harrelson who imbibes Arthur into his persona entirely. Viewers could feel and see straight from his intense blue eyes the determination of Arthur's character mixed with his frustration and impishness. Harrelson helps shed light into the real story behind Arthur who had experienced an immense bout of childhood pain that fueled his seemingly suicidal quest. He exudes a strong man on the exterior but underneath the painted on black mask, he provides viewers a peek of what he really is, a broken man, deep inside. Amazingly, Harrelson never turns astray from his character in the entire film. This made his performance not only impressive but convincing and genuinely sincere. The film finds its soul from Harrelson's passionate acting.
As a director, Peter Stebbings does a great job of staying focused on the story at hand without straying far off direction or losing sight of the main goal in mind. A great plus factor is the way he maintains the dark humor from start to finish. However, though he manages to do an excellent job for this project, there is one major flaw that could never be denied. The film is oddly paced wherein there are moments that the film's momentum is lost. Some scenes don't quite fit together flawlessly. Audiences can get confused while watching the film as they are taken into an estranged roller coaster of emotions.
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