Compelling drama/comedy [written and directed by newcomer Canadian actor Peter Stebbings] about a mentally unstable man who thinks he's a superhero, and crosses paths with a drug-addicted teenage prostitute and a crooked undercover cop while in search of the criminal mastermind he calls "Captain Industry". I noticed the audio motif of an AM radio host talking about crime in the city and at one point the focus was on the top of a taxi cab; just a few of the allusions to a certain classic Scorsese film..."Defendor" is this generation's version of "Taxi Driver" [only more human and with a superhero comedy twist]. Great performances by Woody Harrelson [he deserves an Oscar nomination for this one, but he'll get snubbed of course], Kat Dennings, Elias Koteas, and Michael Kelly . Good performances by Sandra Oh, Clark Johnson, Alan C. Peterson, and Lyriq Bent. Great cinematography and score [the music was perfect]. Overall it's a gem of a film, it's a shame that some great independent films like this one are completely ignored.
Rating: 4 out of 5