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

"Let's Make Love Again"
Written by Matt Murphy and Michael Mabbott
Performed by Matt Murphy (as Guy Terrifico)
Courtesy of Darius - Guy Terrifico Productions Inc.
Published by Matt Murphy (SOCAN), Michael Mabbott (SOCAN)

User Reviews

A Don Quixote for our times

This was a rather enjoyable and strangely touching action caper, with moments of genuine depth and truth.

Woody Harrelson proves once again that he's an incredibly versatile and emotionally astute actor, with an arresting performance that carries the story along with remarkable zeal and fun. And while the plot and direction skirt close to sentimentalism towards the end, Harrelson executes the last few scenes in a manner so as not to spoil the quirky edge of the film.

Another angle that I found particularly enjoyable were the deferred references to Don Quixote - if you've read Cervantes's hilarious Rennaissance series you'll no doubt notice uncanny similarities that suggest homage: In lieu of the outlandish chivalric tales that madden Don Quixote and compel him to forge his own suit of armour and 'sally forth' into the wilds of quiet old La Mancha, we have 'Defendor', who similarly loses what few wits he has to begin with by obsessively reading comic books and deciding to become a superhero in an anonymous post-industrial slum. Sancho Panza is replaced by a saner but similarly pliant crack-addict, Kat, and Rosindante is supplanted by his 'defendog' mobile.

There are other similarities the movie has with D. Quixote, but to mention those would give the game away. It will suffice to say, however, that the film is quite highly recommended by this viewer, if not just for the joy of seeing Don Quixote once again take to the streets in all his glory.