Defendor (2009)

Arthur Poppington, a regular man who adopts a superhero persona, known as "Defendor", combs the city streets at night, in search of his archenemy, Captain Industry.

Director:

Peter Stebbings

Writer:

Peter Stebbings

Stars:

Woody Harrelson, Kat Dennings, Sandra Oh

1 win & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Woody Harrelson	...	Arthur Poppington aka Defendor
Elias Koteas	...	Chuck Dooney
Michael Kelly	...	Paul Carter
Sandra Oh	...	Dr. Ellen Park
Kat Dennings	...	Kat Debrofkowitz
Clark Johnson	...	Captain Roger Fairbanks
Lisa Ray	...	Dominique Ball
A.C. Peterson	...	Radovan Kristic
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:

vigilante | superhero | gun running | organized crime | pimp | 

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Taglines:

An unexpected hero will rise.

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Apparent homage: The headline of a front page of a newspaper seen in the film reads, "HERO OR MENACE?". This is the same headline that appears in Marvel Comics' "The Amazing Spider-Man" comic on the front page of The Daily Bugle newspaper.

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Goofs

When Katerina wants to take a look inside Defendor's cardboard box, it is clear the flaps aren't sealed even before she runs a knife between them.

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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

Referenced in Real-Life Superhero (2011)

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Soundtracks

Amazing Grace
Traditional
Arranged by John Rowley
Published by John Rowley (as John William Wildman Rowley) (SOCAN)

User Reviews

Fantastic

Wow, this movie was awesome.

I sat down to watch this movie with no high expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised. Finally a "superhero" movie you can relate to, instead of everything being all high and mighty on morals and super powers.

"Defendor" had it all, comedy, action, drama and romance. What made this movie unique was the blend of genres which works really well. Initially I thought it was just a spoof of superhero movies, but "Defendor" is so much more than that.

The characters in the movie are real and believable. Hats off to Woody Harrelson for his marvelous performance as Arthur / Defendor. This role really showed off Woody's acting talents. I think we can all see parts of ourselves in the Defendor character, and that is what makes this movie so powerful, so gripping and so entertaining.

And also to Elias Koteas for his role as the corrupt policeman and Kat Denings as her role of a young woman in drug abuse and harsh life situation. And the supporting roles were nicely portrayed as well.

The story told in "Defendor" easily picks you up and keeps you tight. It is really good and you can place yourself in that story. It is very believable and leaves you very entertained.

I was thoroughly entertained from start till end. Lots of good action, really good and solid story, and spectacular acting. This is definitely a keeper, a movie with enough value to be watched more than once.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Canada USA UK

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

13 May 2010 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Defendor

Filming Locations:

Dundas, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,265, 21 February 2010

Gross USA:

$44,462

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$44,462

Company Credits

Production Co:

Insight Film Releasing, Alliance, Darius Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min 95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1