Defendor (2010)

hyped garbage

Highly Overrated But Still Good

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Indeed, if he was an orphan and lived in a crime-filled depressive slum of a town, becoming Defendor could be Mr Gump's idea of upholding the good. Both characters are mentally stuck in their childhood and are haunted by the traumatized past in their present.But Defendor is no Forrest Gump. And it's definitely not Woody Harrelson's fault, because portraying a brave and righteous but weak-minded and ultimately very vulnerable Arthur Poppington was definitely a step up on his acting ladder.The real problem is the film's mood. Forrest Gump was more or less a fairy tale. In a Grimm'esque sense of course, with dark and sinister twists and turns, but with an overall feel-good vibe and a sad but happy ending. Defendor, on the other hand, is no fantasy but rather a child's perception of the adult people's real world's problems. You see it from the get-go that there's no chance for this story to end well, and only a lucky combination of unlikely events allows the protagonist to get that far.In that sense Defendor is more like Observe and Report with Seth Rogen, where he's a glaring opposite of his typical easy and wisecracking slacker roles. That movie is no less sad than Defendor, but at least it dares to show the misery of a person lost in the maze of his mind and his life realistically. Rogen's Ronnie, a shopping mall security officer obsessed with making himself important, is a mirror in which lots of us, who have lost hope for a brighter future, could see themselves. While Defendor, with its heroization and optimism grounded in nothing, is as real as a burnt sugar lollipop: dark and bitter but nonetheless cloyingly oversweetened.

Touching, funny, charming, heart-breaking, optimistic--and so little known. This film is on my special list--the one with the films and books that if folks like 'em, I know I'll like the folks. (Since you asked, another such movie is Australia's "The Castle." And, since you asked, one of the books is "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell) A wonderful example of a well-acted film.Haven't written a review for a long time, and when I tried to post it learned the minimum length is 10 lines of text. More words do not indicate a better composition--I should know, I taught English Comp at university.Okay--long enough now.

Woody Harrelson is hilarious as Defendor, a dim witted, crime fighting super hero. After showing a serious side in The Messenger, the actor proves his amazing versatility in this one. A psychiatrist, Dr. Park(sexy Sandra Oh), interviews Arthur(Harrelson) who explains the reason for his arrest for assault began with a corrupt cop named Dooney, who smokes crack and patronizing hookers. Art believes that the officer works for his enemy, Captain Industry. He lives alone, and one day he meets Angel, the hooker who was previously with Dooney. He is badly beaten by friends of the cop and Angel plays Florence Nightingale. She stays with him for a while at a building depot. Defendor gets shot by Dooney's men, and survives after surgery. He learns that Angel was abused by her father and when he tracks him down, he beats him up, which explains his arrest. Dr. Park sympathizes with him. He makes the news and tries to rehabilitate Angel, while fighting corruption. Defendor is worth it for Woody Harrelson's presence alone.

Defendor was a very good movie. I believe that certain people will love it. But more importantly, I can't imagine anyone who watches this movie all the way through hating it. This movie does a fantastic job of combining themes and emotions. It gives you comedy, drama, romance, action, you name it. Why it's unique is because it does all of this seamlessly without feeling forced.This movie does so many things well. In a world where high budget superhero movies based on deep dynasties are a dime a dozen, this one bests them all. It doesn't need superpowers to amaze. In fact, the reality of the situations are what make it so likable. Like a well oiled machine, it is able to switch gears effectively, bring you from laughs to tears to awe. Also, Woody Harrelson does an INCREDIBLE job of acting.The only negative that I can give to this movie is that it spends so much time varying it's purpose and theme that it's hard to love. It will appeal to almost everyone, but no one positive attribute of the movie has enough sustenance to be memorable.The bottom line on this one is that everyone should see this movie. This movie should be a prerequisite to owning a TV. However, very few people will likely re watch it and fall in love.