Dark, violent and funny, ‘Defendor’ has surprises (4/5)

“Defendor”

Starring: Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Kat Dennings
Directed by: Peter Stebbings
Rating: R for drug use and language throughout, violence and sexual content.
Running time: 1 hour, 41 minutes

It’s a maniac with marbles, it’s Woody Harrelson in a funny costume, both, it’s DEFENDOR!

Rarely does a movie transcend the boundaries of a genre well. But “Defendor” is a comedy, action flick and drama rolled up into one pretty good film.

The emotional aspects of this movie were relatively surprising. I was expecting an off-beat comedy, but instead got a more realistic version of “Kick-Ass” complete with the mental turmoil of being a superhero-sans-powers.

Woody Harrelson stars as Arthur Poppington, a mentally challenged city man who is tired of the drug kings running his shattered home. Rather than the honest working man, the streets are full of corrupt cops and prostitutes enslaved to the drug pushers. Arthur creates the alter-ego Defendor (complete with duct-tape logo and black face paint) to protect the city and fight back against the drug runners.

By day, Arthur works as a road crewman under Paul Carter (Michael Kelly), who has taken Arthur under his wing. But the independent Arthur wants no handouts and instead lives in an abandoned warehouse by himself, unbeknownst to Paul.

In his search for his arch nemesis Captain Industry, Arthur happens upon the bought-out undercover policeman Chuck Dooney (Elias Koteas) and the young streetwalker Kat Debrofkowitz (Kat Dennings of “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist”). Kat “befriends” Arthur and tells him she knows the identity of Captain Industry — mob boss Kristic (Alan C. Peterson), who Kat wants taken out for her own selfish motives.

“Defendor” is an unexpectedly dark movie with comedic undertones. The tough themes circling the devastated city and Arthur himself are balanced by Arthur’s marble throwing, “Oh no, not the lime juice!,” and random labels (“Defendoor” over the warehouse entrance, for instance). This sort of humorous melancholy brings an immense feel of realism to “Defendor” that makes its points strike home all the harder.

Although “Defendor” can be seen on the surface as a superhero parody, it becomes blatantly clear that it’s more of a reflection on society and one man’s drive to fix it. Our laughter is hardly a mockery of Arthur and his intelligence level but rather we laugh at the brutal silliness of it all, and by extension the crazy lifestyles inherent with drug abuse and prostitution. “Defendor” takes backroom conversation and thrusts it into the limelight of humor while forcing it to maintain its dangerous vibe.

“Defendor” manages to be an honest movie in the realm of the fantastical. Woody Harrelson’s performance is impeccable as he flawlessly switches between animated and spirited to dejected and grim and Elias Koteas is a superb bad guy. Kat Dennings does a suitable job as Kat Debrofkowitz but I feel that her limited range just can’t hold a candle to Harrelson’s.

This movie isn’t suitable for all viewers, largely due to the themes of drugs and prostitution itself. But there are also scenes of violence and language — it’s rated “R” for a reason.

This is the writing and directorial debut of Canadian Peter Stebbings, and I think it’s safe to say he has a long career ahead of him in the movie industry.

4 of 5 stars