Defendor (2009)

Director:

Peter Stebbings

Writer:

Peter Stebbings (screenplay)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

An unexpected hero will rise.

Plot:

A comedy centered around three characters: an everyday guy who comes to believe he's a superhero, his psychiatrist, and the teenager he befriends.

Plot Keywords:

One Word Title

Cast

Woody Harrelson	...	Arthur Poppington / Defendor
Kat Dennings	...	Kat
Sandra Oh	...	Dr. Park
Elias Koteas	...	Chuck Dooney
Charlotte Sullivan	...	Fay Poppington
Michael Kelly	...	Paul Carter
Lisa Ray	...	Dominique Ball
Kristin Booth	...	Wendy Carter
Tatiana Maslany	...	Olga
Lyriq Bent	...	Wayne
Michael Cram	...	Blake
James Preston Rogers	...	BikerBob
Tony Nappo	...	Biker Cliff
Dakota Goyo	...	Jack Carter
Graham Abbey	...	Constable Mike
John Paul Ruttan	...	Young Jack
Max Dreesen	...	Kid Arthur
Cynthia Amsden	...	Woman with Pointsetta

Directed by
Peter Stebbings

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Peter Stebbings		screenplay

Produced by
Tim Brown	....	executive producer
Sean Buckley	....	executive producer
Leah Jaunzems	....	associate producer
John N. Kozman	....	executive producer
Tim Merkel	....	executive producer
Daphne Park	....	executive producer
Nicholas Tabarrok	....	producer

Original Music by
John Rowley

Cinematography by
David Greene

Film Editing by
Geoff Ashenhurst

Casting by
Sara Kay
Nancy Klopper
Jenny Lewis

Production Design by
Oleg M. Savytski

Art Direction by
Anthony A. Ianni

Costume Design by
Gersha Phillips

Makeup Department
Diana Ladyshewsky	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
Daniel Bekerman	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sarah Campbell	....	second assistant director
Lawrence Ng	....	assistant director
Andrew Shea	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Alan Letts	....	construction coordinator
Sean Scoffield	....	graphic designer
Adam Smith	....	specialty prop fabricator
Rob Valeriote	....	head carpenter

Sound Department
Pat Cassin	....	boom operator
Greg Chapman	....	sound
Christian T. Cooke	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mark Gingras	....	supervising sound editor
Katie Halliday	....	sound editor
Dale Lennon	....	dialogue editor
Steve Moore	....	sound re-recording mixer
Tim O'Connell	....	foley artist
John Douglas Smith	....	supervising sound editor
Robert Woolfson	....	additional sound

Special Effects by
Warren Appleby	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Nadine Blackler	....	digital compositor
Elaine Fung	....	visual effects artist
Jason Giberson	....	digital restoration artist
Sean Gilhooly	....	visual effects coordinator
Milton Muller	....	digital artist
Adam Stern	....	visual effects supervisor
Brent Veal	....	digital compositor

Stunts
Bryan Renfro	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Dave Bouskill	....	lighting technician
Carly Brenner	....	daily camera trainee
Dana Rutledge	....	second assistant camera
Ken Woroner	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Trelawnie Mead	....	costume truck supervisor
Bonnie Sutherland	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Michael Dobroski	....	colorist

Music Department
John Rowley	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Steven Sacrob	....	transportation captain
Marco Sousa	....	transportation co-captain

Other crew
Cynthia Amsden	....	unit publicist
Aaron Champion	....	assistant: producer
Shannon Chow	....	set medic
Heather K. Dahlstrom	....	assistant production coordinator
Jim Dobson	....	publicist
Claude Forest	....	insurance broker
Doug Gillespie	....	production accountant
Diana Jackson	....	assistant to cast
Susan R. Jones	....	production coordinator
Michael Pivar	....	production assistant
Katrina Saville	....	assistant to director
Christopher Warre Smets	....	epk producer
Lindsay Somers	....	key set medic
David Steinberg	....	legal services
Alan Sutton	....	fire safety coordinator
Matthew Wygodny	....	production assistant

Thanks
Carrie Paupst Shaughnessy	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Darius Films
• Buck Films

Distributors

• Alliance Films (2009) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Odeon Films (2009) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Prorom Media-Trade (2009) (Romania) (all media)
• Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) Worldwide Acquisitions Group

Other Companies

• Toronto Film Studios  movie studio

MPAA:

Rated R for drug use and language throughout, violence and sexual content.

Runtime:

Canada:95 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #45809)

Filming Locations:

Dundas, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Darius Films

Clever parody juxtaposed with intriguing self-reflexive darkness - an inspired revision of the superhero myth

Given the recent onslaught of superhero films hitting theatres, it would seem only natural to anticipate parodic responses to the genre, sending up its excesses and sillier elements. On the surface, it would appear that debut director Peter Stebbings' Defendor is exactly such a film, casting Woody Harrelson's oddball everyman as a surrogate crimefighter and exploiting his antics for humour in the vein of 1999's Mystery Men. And initially this is the approach the film itself appears gearing up to take, opening with a hysterical spoofing of overblown superhero film clichés, including rooftop billowing fog, high contrast city lights against nighttime darkness, and larger than life acrobatic feats ("always check the garbage days" moans a wounded Defendor after leaping off a rooftop into a dumpster recently emptied of garbage to cushion his fall). Such astute genre awareness combined with the wonderfully imaginative collection of Defendor's makeshift crimefighting weapons (including the most inspired use of marbles seen in ages) could easily have assured for an hour and a half of lighthearted, enjoyable cinematic fun.

But Stebbings' film has grander ambitions than a mere surface level parody, which subtly unfold as the film progresses. As the laughs slowly become fewer and fewer, Defendor's narrative becomes steadily more engrossing, settling on a tone pitched halfway between exhilarating crime/mystery thriller and poignant character study, as the viewer is led increasingly to question Defendor's mental stability, and even the ethics of his imbalanced war against injustice. While such transitioning between tones could prove a dangerous stumbling ground, Stebbings is careful to distinguish between his darker themes and moments of levity, utilizing dashes of all too real violence to savagely undercut the fantasy or parodic elements. For all Defendor's silliness, it certainly packs a brutal punch when necessary.

Of course, being the work of a first time director, one would expect the occasional fumble, and Stebbings' film does lose its way for a period nearing the climax, meandering somewhat and losing its rhythm. Nonetheless, an emerging subplot musing on the roots and importance of heroism (clearly borrowing amply from Christopher Nolan's recent two Batman reboots among other sources) which could have been the clumsiest addition to the movie actually emerges as surprisingly tasteful and functional, adding more nuance and complexity to the unfolding film without coming across as excessively pretentious. Completing the package is the wonderfully grandiose musical score by John Rowley, managing to perfectly encompass each tonal shift, whether gleefully riffing on superhero musical motifs or offering something more profound and honest, either way adding welcome depth and volume to a film already far from lacking in either.

The casting of Woody Harrelson as the titular hapless crimefighter also proves a stroke of genius, as Harrelson's naturally wacky yet powerful charisma exemplifies the essence of the film, beautifully blending child-like emotional simplicity, tenacious determination and enough flat out weirdness to make it all ring true, as well as an inspired ripoff of Christian Bale's now iconic Batman voice. Kat Dennings is equally delightful to watch as a young prostitute who may be either befriending or manipulating Defendor, warping her naturally quirky and spunky energy into something darker, yet just as resonant. Elias Koteas essays antagonistic clichés with the utmost grotesque skill as a crooked cop, and Michael Kelly reconciles a weakly written role with a gruff credibility as Defendor's employer and solitary friend. Finally, Sandra Oh is superb in her few scenes as Defendor's psychological examiner, infusing impressive dramatic tension with moments of deadpan humour, and bringing welcome life to the film.

It would be easy to compare Defendor as a film to its protagonist: slightly cumbersome and prone to stumbling at times, yet cleverly self-aware, comical yet with layers of unexpected darkness, and overall encompassed by such an infectious sense of classic, cheesy charm that it is near impossible not to love in the end. Whether taken as a superhero parody, straight out superhero film or character study (or ultimately all three), Defendor proves a highly enjoyable success, and one easily worth a watch.

-7.5/10