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Poster for Defendor

Defendor

An unexpected hero will rise.

2009 · 1h 41m · R Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama
Directed by Peter Stebbings

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Overview

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.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
68%
Tomatometer
Fresh

Saving the day is Harrelson's low-key, rooted performance, adding an unexpected layer of poignancy when things take a decidedly darker turn.

Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter
Rotten

Stebbings is more interested in deconstructing heroism than creating a concrete world, sapping the movie of the immediacy it needs to come alive. For all its aspirations, the film never meshes into something cohesive or substantial.

Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times
Rotten

Likable but hardly memorable.

Tim Grierson, L.A. Weekly
Rotten

The low-budget movie continually shifts from comic-book spoof to gritty crime story to mental-health drama, the inconsistent tone preventing it from ever fully working as one or another.

David Germain, Associated Press
Fresh

Modest but likable effort is packaged in a straightforward style.

Dennis Harvey, Variety

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