Defendor

Defendor is the story of a simple, deluded, child-like man, who thinks he's a super-hero. In all likelihood, he should have died a swift and brutal death no later than ten minutes in, but it seems that God watches out for the simple-minded, even in movies. Somehow, Defendor even ends up bumbling his way into doing some good. Woody Harrelson portrayed Arthur in a way that completely avoided mocking him. Imagine Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump. Arthur has definite reasons for his quest and his actions, and as those reasons are revealed during the movie, you become more and more attached to his character. Kat Dennings plays a young prostitute who befriends Arthur and is instrumental in helping him to his final destiny, and Sandra Oh stars as a psychiatrist who learns about Arthur along with the audience.  No one is responsible for the acting burden that Harrelson has, but their performances are still solid. I liked this movie a good bit. It was funny in some parts, and sad in others. We really don't get to spend enough time with Arthur/Defendor and his world, but what's here is pretty satisfying.

This movie warmed my heart. I watched it over a year ago and I STILL feel it. It is a shame that it came out around the same time as Kickass, and did not get much press. It was a surprisingly great movie. It holds it own when compared with Kickass. It is a movie I will still enjoy ten years from now, like the movie Up (due to the range of emotions I feel whilst watching the story). Though unlike Up, this was not a happy movie. It is dark. As I titled this review - the movie is "Kickass meets Forrest Gump". What do you think would happen if Forrest Gump came across a mob boss?

The actors are good, but sometimes I wondered if Woody wasn't sure just how slow his character was. Also, I felt like there was an element of being afraid for Arthur that wasn't explored enough. "Training bullets" was probably the most obvious logic mistake, but beyond that the suspension of disbelieve wasn't too bad overall. What drives the movie is you want to know if Arthur can pull off his mission. You want him to succeed and you feel bad for his separation from his mother as a child. Kat Dennings is always "too cool for school" but she pulls off the role here pretty well. I believed her sympathy for Arthur by the end. Decent movie, not a classic, but worth watching.

Woody Harrelson's character gets a pretty straight forward backstory and solid development in this budget Batman-esque flick. He sees evil and attempts to solve crime in the guise of his alterego, Defendor, but when his counterpart, Kat Dennings - an exploited drug user and prostitute - becomes a shining light in his life while trying to battle her own demons, his mission becomes much more personal. With drama, action, and a splash of comedy, this film really brings a different level to the would-be superhero scene. It draws parallels to films such as Blankman and Kick Ass, but with a more humble and relatable vibe. The characters are easy to become emotionally involved with and the story flows nicely.

Defendor started as a silly comedy, then it was completely turned into a heart touching story about an ordinary man did extraordinary things. A simple story indeed, yet it kept me on my seat till the very end. Kudos to everyone who have been involved in making this wonderful film! There's no doubt that Mr. Harrelson has done a fantastic job on his role, but I think it was Kat Dennings who should be mentioned more than once for her brilliant performance in this movie. Her presence was just simply amazing. Both their characters were haunted by the past and troubled by the present and it was that unfortunate similarity that brought them together and changed each other's life. Defendor is not an ordinary superhero movie. It is however, an extraordinary story filled with courage and determination!