Defendor

Dir Peter Stebbings w/ Woody Harrelson, Kat Dennings. 95 min. Sep 12, 6pm, Varsity 8; Sep 16, 11:45am, Scotia 4.

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BY Kieran Grant   September 09, 2009 15:09

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The feature directorial debut by Canadian actor-writer Stebbings reworks comic book and vigilante movie conventions into a downbeat comedy-drama that simultaneously knocks around and empathizes with Arthur, a.k.a. Defendor, a lonely and delusional simpleton (Harrelson) whose life of hard knocks in “Hammer Town” (yes, Hamilton, back in its regular role as hell’s seventh gate) has driven him off the rails on to a Batman-like anti-crime crusade, complete with makeshift superhero costume and weaponry. That this dark street fantasy works is testament to Harrelson’s weird, wistful performance and a movie that, despite its efforts to be as brazenly naïve as its hero, is just as gold-hearted.

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