A shoe-polish mask, duct-tape lettering and a turtleneck — Defendor isn’t your average big-screen vigilante.

Defendor

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Canadian-made superhero flick Defendor could easily be mistaken for a lighthearted superhero spoof. After all, Woody Harrelson, who stars as the eponymous avenger, is riding a wave of goodwill after the well-received undead comedy Zombieland, and the film’s trailer seems to present him as an amiable cheeseball rather than another in the string of gritty anti-heroes and vigilantes who’ve graced the screen of late.

It’s true that Harrelson’s character is likably bumbling, but the debut directorial effort from veteran Canuck actor Peter Stebbings aims for more than laughs. Like the similarly themed 2006 sorta-hero effort Special, Defendor earns dramatic — even tragic — heft from the delusions of a man in tights.

Harrelson is superb as Arthur Poppington, a construction-worker-cum-superhero who prowls the streets armed with makeshift spy gadgets and his grandfather’s trench club. His ultimate aim is to avenge his mother’s death at the hands of Captain Industry, the (surely imaginary) drug lord Arthur blames for the squalid conditions in his hometown Hamilton. While on patrol, he interrupts a dirty cop (Elias Koteas) and a young prostitute (Nick And Norah’s Kat Dennings) mid-transaction. It quickly becomes apparent that Arthur bludgeoned the wrong officer — the cop has his fingers in drugs, prostitution and more. What’s less obvious is whether he’s “rescued” the right girl.

The relationship between Dennings and Harrelson is at the heart of Defendor, with the former walking (and often crossing) the fine line between friendship and cynical exploitation. Harrelson, meanwhile, just seems happy to have a friend — especially one who fits into his comic-book narrative, and who is willing to feed his delusions by pointing him in the direction of his “arch-nemesis.”

As a directorial debut, Defendor is remarkably assured, but writer-director Stebbings’s inexperience shows through occasionally, particularly in the film’s pacing. A framing device featuring psychiatrist Sandra Oh examining Harrelson is a convenient way of showcasing the more endearing sides of Defendor’s personality, but it also detracts from the film’s momentum and steadily darkening atmosphere.

Still, while a little more revision would have done Defendor well, it’s still a more-than-effective take on the superhero genre, and it’s noteworthy on the strength of Harrelson’s performance. Add in thematic nods to The Watchmen and Taxi Driver and a mood that occasionally approximates the very human tragedy of The Wrestler, and you have an extremely promising debut from a Canadian filmmaker to watch.