In Defendor, Woody Harrelson plays an offbeat super-hero who dons a shoe black mask, black tights and a duct-taped 'D' on his chest to defend The Hammer against the evil Captain Industry. Yes, in this film the gritty City of Hamilton, belching smokestacks and all, is the star.
It is refreshing to see a city with as much character, tradition and integrity as Hamilton portrayed as is. "All the money in Hollywood could not give me this setting. You cannot recreate settings like that" states director Peter Stebbings.
It is important that communities acknowledge and embrace their identity, and to not pretend to be someplace they are not. In Hamilton, the escarpment waterfalls and the steel mill wharves can share equal billing.
Read Mark McNeil's article in Saturday's Hamilton Spectator, and be sure to catch a special Hamilton screening of Defendor at the Westdale Cinema this Friday, March 26.
