I'd heard a couple of people talk about this film; partly in reference to Super, which is a similar plot about a man without any powers becoming a superhero. This film doesn't have the dark humour of Super, and apart from the beginning, is mostly a serious film about a man with learning difficulties attempting to fight crime and avenge his mother's death. While Woody Harrelson is perfect as the title character, this film doesn't quite hit the spot it could have done, but I think it's a refreshing change to both Kick Ass and Super, and I'm glad I saw those first.

If you mix Billy Bob Thornton's Sling Blade character Karl Childers with Batman, you'll get Defendor AKA Arthur Poppington. In Peter Stebbings hands, Woody Harrelson again delivers a role you'd be hard pressed to forget.

Supported by up-and-coming Kat Dennings and a bunch of Canadian under-appreciated actors like Sandra Oh, Elias Koteas, Michael Kelly and Clark Johnson, Woody takes us on a superhero-journey like no other (even with movies like Kick-Ass and Super playing up some of the same notes).

I love Defendor. It's simple, heartfelt, darkly funny and a comment on society as well as entertainment. It might be a bit flawed and it strays to cliches, but I'm still equally entertained each and every time I revisit.

Defendor might not be the superhero we need, but I'm damn sure he's the superhero we don't deserve.

Defendor is tagged as a comedy in a lot of places. Hulu classifies it as one; so does YouTube. It’s the first genre listed on IMDb’s page for the film. But it’s not a comedy, except perhaps if you view it through some very restrictive lenses. There are a few laughs here and there, sure, but for the most part, its absurdities aren’t comical, but quietly sad. What it is, though, is pretty good. Read full review.

Though this film is supposed to be a "dark comedy" (and though those are usually my favorites) I don't think I laughed once watching this film.

Instead of "laughing at" the mentally handicapped protagonist, I found myself pitying him, liking him. Which is, of course, the point. The tone of this film often unnerved me - it's done sort of in the vein of Kick-Ass but it's a little more self-aware. It's not really an answer to films in the superhero genre, it's more of an explanation of their worth, or, why we love them. It's quite a bittersweet and enjoyable film, and worth a watch.

σώπα ρε, ποιος το περίμενε. το καταδιασκέδασα, ήταν κάπως σαν το Kick-Ass του φτωχού. μπράβο ε

Woody Harrelson is great. DEFENDOR came out right in between his Oscar-nominated role in The Messenger and his mainstream hit Zombieland. All three were great performances. This one may be my favorite of the bunch. The movie itself is a well-made, engaging mix between Kick-Ass and Lars & The Real Girl. I liked it a lot.

godspeedhotfire.tumblr.com/post/10430000796/woody-harrelson-is-great-defendor-came-out-right

Solche Filme werden normalerweise in Schulklassen gezeigt, wenn der letze Schultag ansteht. Ein Indie-Film über einen Real-Life-Superhelden, der am Ende wirklich zum Held wird. Klingt nicht sonderlich spannend, aber vor allem die Darstellung von Woody Harrelson macht ihn zu einem schönen Film. Ein Zitat der schweizer OutNow fasst das gut zusammen, wie ich den Film finde:
“…Defendor ist keine Komödie, hat aber trotzdem ein paar schöne Grinser drin. Die entwickelte Dramatik überzeugt ebenso wie die aufspielenden Darsteller. Mit Defendor kommt ein spezieller Film zu uns, der den popcornmampfenden Superheldenfan enttäuschen wird. Wer aber mehr als nur Action und Spezialeffekte erwartet, könnte hier eine gute Erfahrung machen…”

Interesting film I must say. Banded together with films like Kick-Ass, Super and Griff The Invisible as ‘everyday heroes’. Apparently though Defendor was made before Kick-Ass.

I rather liked, it felt more realistic than Super but also had some heart like Griff The Invisible. Woody Harrelson was pretty damn good as well.

Gribēju prasīt vai vajadzīgs vēl viens aptracis working class hero, kad mums jau ir Kick Ass, Super un God Bless America. IMDB man saka, Defendor ir iznācis pirms šīm un paslīdējis man garām nemanīts tāpēc šis jautājums būs nevietā. Es šo filmu redzēju tikai tagad un vēl nesenā pagātnē ir skatītas iepriekš minētas trīs, kas vēl nav nosēdušās. Defendor neizspēlē neko oriģinālu, sižets ir diezgan prasts un paredzams, taču filma pamanās būt pietiekoši izklaidējoša un Woody Harrelson savā lomā ir lielisks. Defendor ir sirsnīga filma, tā mazliet vairāk uzmanības pievērš supervaroņa cilvēcīgajai pusei un sabiedrības attieksmei pret viņu, kas arī ir vienīgais ar ko šī filma atšķiras no iepriekš minētajām.

Woody Harrelson. Need I say more?