Over the last decade or so we have been treated (or subjected – depending on your point of view) to a glut of superhero movies. Some (THE DARK KNIGHT) have been great cinema, most have been great entertainment, and some (IRON MAN) have fallen into both categories.

With so many superhero movies there is an inevitable backlash, or an alternative, obtuse view of the whole genre. One of the popular ideas has been to take ordinary people who invest so much into the reality of the superhero myth that they believe they can do it themselves. MYSTERY MEN (1999), based on a Dark Horse comic, was a prime example of a group of men with no discernable powers, donning costumes to fight crime, but played for laughs.

In a similar vein is this year's KICK-ASS (out on DVD/Blu-ray on September 6), but with a whole lot more swearing and violence, but still played for laughs. Which brings us to DEFENDOR, another everyman as costumed hero, but a much more serious take on the phenomenon.

Defendor is the alter-ego of Arthur Poppington (Woody Harrelson), who was raised by his war veteran grandfather, after his mother left him as a child.

Arthur could probably best be described as within the autistic spectrum: a simple man with a childlike innocence and a firm belief in comic book heroes. He dresses in black, with a greasepaint mask, armed with, marbles, wasps, his grandpa's trench club and a VHS helmet camera to record his exploits.

When he "rescues" a local prostitute (Kat Dennings) as she is about to begin her "business" with a corrupt detective (Elias Koteas), Defendor finds himself mixed up with organised crime, sex trafficking and gun running as he tries to capture the evil Captain Industry he believes is responsible for his mother's death.

Written and directed by actor Peter Stebbings, this Canadian film is a lot darker and grounded in reality than KICK-ASS, even if the basic concept is the same. In fact, it is much closer to SPECIAL (2005), starring Michael Rapaport, who shares a physical similarity to Harrelson.

What really sets this film apart is Harrelson's performance as the naïve hero, and also the supporting cast. While the characters, such as the kind-hearted hooker, the corrupt cop, the Eastern European gangster could easily slip into stereotypes, they are all well written and rounded characters that are realistically portrayed.

The script also manages to get the right balance of action, comedy and pathos to make a very satisfying movie that has a lot more to offer than many of the big budget/big box-office movies of the genre.

This DVD-only release has a fair selection of bonus features including cast and director commentary, a substantial making-of, deleted scenes and outtakes.

DEFENDOR is released onDVD September 6 2010 through Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and is available from Play and all good retailers.

We have three copies of the DVD to give away courtesy of SPHE. Click on the link below to enter the competition, which closes on September 21

Defendor Trailer
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