Defendor (2009)

A comedy centered around three characters: an everyday guy who comes to believe he's a superhero, his psychiatrist, and the teenager he befriends.

Director:

Peter Stebbings

Writer:

Peter Stebbings

Stars:

Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Sandra Oh

2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Woody Harrelson	...	Arthur Poppington / Defendor
Elias Koteas	...	Sgt. Chuck Dooney
Michael Kelly	...	Paul Carter
Sandra Oh	...	Dr. Ellen Park
Kat Dennings	...	Katerina Debrofkowitz
Clark Johnson	...	Capt. Roger Fairbanks
Lisa Ray	...	Dominique Ball
Alan C. Peterson	...	Radovan Kristic (as A.C. Peterson)
Kristin Booth	...	Wendy Carter (as Kristen Booth)
Charlotte Sullivan	...	Fay
Tony Nappo	...	Biker Cliff
Ron White	...	Judge Wilson
David Gardner	...	Grandpa Henry
Bryan Renfro	...	Mr. Debrofkowitz
Max Dreesen	...	Young Arthur

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

superhero | vigilante | male crying | police captain | one word title | 

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Taglines:

Fight back

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug use and language throughout, violence and sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Canada USA UK

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

13 May 2010 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Defendor - A véderő

Filming Locations:

Dundas, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$18,628 (USA) (26 February 2010)

Gross:

$37,606 (USA) (26 February 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Insight Film Releasing, Alliance Films, Darius Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min 95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Canadian actor Peter Stebbings's screenwriting and directorial debut.

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Goofs

Arthur makes a big deal about being called "DefenDOR", yet when he's talking with Kat, he calls himself "Defender".

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dr. Park: Arthur? Arthur.
Arthur Poppington: Yeah.
Dr. Park: Are you thinking about the question?
Arthur Poppington: Mmm... Are you Japanese?
Dr. Park: No.
Arthur Poppington: Mieko Tatsuri is Japanese.
Dr. Park: Oh. Who is Mieko Tatsuri?
Arthur Poppington: Mmm... She's the leader of Blowback. Her father is a ninja and her mother is an alien from the gamma sector.
Dr. Park: Okay well, I'm Korean from Earth.

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Connections

References Columbo (1971)

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Soundtracks

"Help I'm Alive"
Written by Emily Haines and James Shaw
Performed by Metric
Courtesy of Metric Productions Inc. under exclusive license to Last Gang Records
Published by Chrysalis Music Ltd. (ASCAP)

User Reviews

Brilliant

One of the best movies I have seen this decade, funny, touching and clever. It would have totally passed me by if someone hadn't recommended it, which is a shame as it's an excellent film.

Acting, music score, writing all come together really well. Thank you Woody for another great movie.

I would really recommend this film to anyone even if the "superhero genre" is not your thing, since that is only tertiary to the theme anyway.

I look forward to seeing more from Peter Stebbings.

I can only hope that "Kick Ass" is half as good as Defendor.