Review of Defendor

Defendor (2009)
4/10
Imitator
18 July 2020
Another, forgettable movie about a regular, albeit perhaps mentally impaired, guy playing superhero despite a distinct lack of supernatural powers or Bruce Wayne's wealth, "Defendor" follows films such as "Hero at Large" (1980) and "Special" (2006) and anticipates the likes of "Griff the Invisible," "Kick-Ass" and "Super" (all 2010). This one is definitively on the schmaltzy side of, say, the ultra-violence of the "Kiss-Ass" series or the dark tone of "Super," but a lot of the same notes are played. The intellectually-disabled protagonist in this one, portrayed by Woody Harrelson, has a familiar fascination with comic books and dresses up at night like his heroes to attack mobsters for the standard reasons--avenging a dead parent and rescuing the hooker with a heart of gold (Kat Dennings, who went on to make similar wisecracks in the first two "Thor" installments). Added to the comic books of art-within-art, there's also a minor character who paints graffiti, including a mural to Defendor. Additionally, much of the narrative is told through flashbacks as reported by the wannabe-supe to a therapist. There's hardly anything new or particularly interesting here, but, at least, it's sometimes amusing.
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