A bit more entertaining than Special is it's slightly more retarded cousin, Defendor. Harrelson is easy to watch in pretty much anything, and in truth he's probably the reason I enjoyed the film the small bit that I did. The story is awkward because it shifts thematically way too much, and the crime plot is just poorly conceived. Poor job of genre-juggling, I guess. Elias Koteas is great, though. Somebody needs to give him a lead anti-hero role in a ridiculous action/crime flick. He'd kill it.

Better than perfect. Always outnumbered, always outgunned.

Spin off of the Watchmen movie, Rorschach's son becomes a super hero, is also mentally retarded.

A movie that hits home with it's uncanny sense of honesty and heart. Harrelson was born for this role and his subtleties worked wonders here. Sure you can whine about how the concept handled differently had masterpiece potential, but what's the fun in that?

Comédie douce-amère, assez triste. "Crépusculaire" comme le dit Mad Movies. Excellents acteurs, surtout le premier rôle, aux antipodes de Zombieland.

Beautiful and tragic, not a comedy, though there were moments of levity. Enjoyable mostly due to Harrelson's engaging performance, and Kat Dennings continues to find obscure underwritten characters and make them real people. Overall, worth a go.

What a shame. This movie could've been fantastic. This movie flipflopped over and over and over whether or not it wanted to be a comedy or a serious, violent drama, and that is the major flaw. The serious drama parts are awesome and exactly what the movie should've been, the comedy comes out of nowhere and destroys the pacing the movie was building up. Comedy would've been good too but they just sort of went half and half and it's a schizophrenic affair at best. Very watchable though.

Lost somewhere between dark comedy and a somber look at the consequences of trying to operate as a masked avenger, Defendor has neither the wit nor the authenticity to entertain as either. The apparently mentally handicapped crime fighter, has little depth and implausibly fights cartoonishly cliché mobsters in a plot as predictable as it is formulaic. The real failure lies in a story with so much potential for dark humor that wants desperately to be a gritty drama.

You will be reminded of Forrest Gump through the whole movie and Woody fix the role quite well too. The movie wants you to bond with the main character for all its worth, and partly succeeds. The story itselfs is quite cheap and nowhere near its big brother.

A strong and compelling story about a subject that becomes more and more important each day.

Here is my problem; since when are we supposed to feel sympathy for a DANGEROUS IDIOT who is indirectly responsible for the death of several good men?He is a worse person than most of the criminals he fights! There is an inspired mix of comedy and dark realism, and Harrelson's performance is terrific, but the God-awful pacing and idiotic central theme make sure this film is no more than okay.And the cartoonish happy ending,with everything turning out great,is out of place,and makes it poor.

Excellent movie that is made of pure win. Great acting, great drama and great humor (where it's appropriate). The fictitious town where the story takes place sucks you into it's world and it all works so well that it makes you feel a part of the fate of the protagonist. This movie is definitely worth all the attention it is getting, which is something that I can't say very often.

For some reason there is a rise in these "superhero with no power" movies and none of them have been particularly interesting, and this is no exception. Much like Special, it's another standard throwaway indie film. There is nothing really wrong with it, it's just not particularly memorable or great in any single way. It's also worth noting how hideous Kat Dennings is when she shows zero cleavage, unbelievable how her boobs blinded me to her face and terrible acting chops.

Never comes off as a rejuvenation since the genre is far from dead, but I like these reinventions of the superhero genre; Unconventional without exploiting its deeply rooted core values and the characters are well portrayed, notably Harrelson as the likeable vigilante. A good time at the movies.

Mix of genres may not be to everyone's taste, but it's funny, touching and at times surprisingly scary. Woody Harrelson plays extremely well and makes the hero touching and moving as well as a "hero" in his own way.

The execution is flawed -- I seemed to be one step away from knowing what the hell was going on at any point in the movie, and Kat Dennings seemed one step away from a miscast. But it's certainly an original piece of work and Woody Harrelson plays an excellent vigilante manchild. Definitely worth a watch.

a very solid outing, harrelson and koteas do bang up jobs--they're a couple of my favorites in the industry. if the story had a little better character development and a tighter script it could have been much better.

Interesting concept but totally predictable and follows the usual character archetypes and situational cliches. Hooker with a heart of gold in 2009? No thanks. Also, in a film about a "real" costumed hero it was a mistake to make the villains out to be more like action film caricatures than any sort of real criminals. The writing also revisited the childhood abuse theme a little too much and it probably would have been far better if the mental issues of Defendor were left ambiguous.

It's like a serious, white version of Blankman. It did not work at all for me, and Kat Dennings is a horrible actress. I admit to not finishing this one.

For all its aspirations, the film never meshes into something cohesive or substantial. Its naive earnestness has its charms, but like its title character, Defendor never takes flight.

Harrelson is amazing and he's very funny here. Koteas is, as always, the bomb. Decent.

Though Defendor isn't a masterpiece it is a brilliant piece of storytelling. It never condones or condemns vigilantism and it never presents it as glamorous. However it does present Defendor as likable and able to see the world in black and white; his below average IQ gives him this endearingly simplistic perspective (think Forrest Gump as a superhero). What you end up with is a touching tale of someone trying to make a difference in the real world as best they can.

If only real life were so kind; we need more real people like this character.

How is this labeled Comedy?

Defendor wins hearts, but not minds. Harrelson and Dennings are charming in their roles, and Defendor's offbeat crime fighting techniques are amusing. However, the plot awkwardly juggles comedy and serious crime, with the latter carried out insincerely by an inappropriately light cast of characters. The comedy also feels exploitative, as many of the jokes are based on the mentally ill leads misinterpretations of the world around him. I enjoyed the film, perhaps a bit more than I should have.

Good. More a tragedy than a comedy, this Harrelson starrer off-beat action just manages to stay afloat. A bit too preachy for my taste. Recommended.

What a perfect little movie. I have renewed respect for Woody Harrelson. He was just born for this kind of role, and he certainly shines in it. Bravo!

Woody is doing a great job carrying this, supported nicely by Michael Kelly and Kat Dennings. It's about a man with a big heart, who simply doesn't know any better than to act on his good-heartedness without compromise. Great bit on a real-world superhero.

Likeable enough, and Woody Harrelson is always watchable, but the premise (superheroes in real life would have to be CRAZY!) has been done before and it unfolds with few surprises.

The back of the box said "Darkly funny", which is just code for DEPRESSING.

The best retard film I've ever seen!

Similar scenario to "Kick-Ass" yet the polar opposite. Harrelson is perfect in this heartfelt story. Was not what i was expecting but definitely welcomed it.

this could have been ALOT better, shame as Harrelson again plays an excellent role of a 'hero'!

Harrelson and Dennings make this worth while.

Definitely a refreshing movie from all the "super hero" type movies coming out in 2010 (though this is released in 2009). Woody Harrelson is great in it but I found co-star Kat Dennings part to talentless and non-believable.

Harrelson and Koteas (dirty cop) makes this one watchable till the end. Forrest Gump meets Batman is a neat idea but, the execution of this idea is terrible. Jokes are not funny enough, the main girl is not likeable (though it seems like it should be, I couldn't see any intention of making her an unlikable character but it just happened obviously), it's too long, has too much unnecessary scenes... Trailer is, once more, better than the movie, sadly.

Okay Movie

Similiar premise to Kick-Ass. Not nearly as good as K-A but still enjoyable.

Out-kickasses "Kick-Ass" by a country mile, sporting a much more likable protagonist. You can very obviously tell that this is a Canadian-made movie if you look hard enough. Woody drives the flick, no surprise there, but honestly, Kat Dennings deserves a lot of praise for her work. She's not really given much to work with -- an underwritten hooker character -- but at the same time, she DOES make the most of it. Most criticisms against her acting are bullshit as far as I'm concerned. Recommended!

If it had been even more stripped down, less uplifting and unflinchingly raw, this could probably have been THE movie of the year. I believe that a neorealist superhero movie with a somewhat dim main character (picture him being beaten up, left on the street and walking senselessly around the city instead of being helped by his friends and a young hooker) could be something special. As it stands it is an amazing idea, but a disappointing execution.