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There is a League of Fake Superheroes, and it has a long and storied history in the annals of cinema. Way back in 1980, which is the same year “talkies” were invented, there was a slight but somehow memorable John Ritter comedy called Hero at Large](Hero at Large (1980) - Movie | Moviefone), which was about an actor who dons a superhero costume and roams around the city doing good. Needless to say, real danger gets in the way of the fun. Films as varied as Watchmen](http://www.moviefone.com/movie/watchmen/26998/main), Kick Ass](Kick-Ass (2010) - Movie | Moviefone), Mystery Men](Mystery Men (1999) - Movie | Moviefone), and* Special* have all touched upon the fascinating issue of “everyman superheroism,” although none have done it quite as … oddly as Peter Stebbings’ Defendor](Defendor (2010) - Movie | Moviefone).
Here we have a protagonist (played powerfully well – as usual – by Woody Harrelson) who is clearly a few cards short in the full deck department. Good-natured and entirely likable, Arthur Poppington is also the sort of guy who dons a crazy costume and thwarts little crimes all across the city at night. One such patrol forces “Defendor” to cross paths with a dirty cop (Elias Koteas) and a wounded runaway (Kat Dennings), which kicks off a series of events that vaults the goofy vigilante into the media spotlight. Oh, and don’t call him “Defender.”