Super (2010)

SUPER is a 2010 American dark comedy written and directed by James Gunn, starring Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, and Kevin Bacon. The film premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival and it was released in theaters in the United States on April 1, 2011 and on Video on demand on April 13, 2011 . The film is officially unrated.

The film opens with short order cook Frank D'Arbo (Wilson) telling the audience of the only two good memories he's had in a life of disappointment and shame; marrying his beautiful wife Sarah (Tyler) and an incident in which he directed some cops to catch a purse snatcher. These memories are depicted as two childlike crayon illustrations that Frank hangs on his wall. Later on, Sarah, a recovering addict, leaves for Jacques (Bacon) a charismatic strip club owner who gets her hooked on drugs. Frank sinks into depression, where he has a vision in which he is touched by the hand of God and meets the Holy Avenger (Fillion), a superhero from a public access television show on the All-Jesus Network. He tells Frank that he God has chosen him for a very special purpose. Frank later seeks the advice of Libby (Page), a neurotic comic book shop employee, under the pretense that he is designing a new superhero. Frank suits up in a garish patchwork costume, calling himself the Crimson Bolt. Armed with a wrench, he goes on a crime-fighting spree, brutally bludgeoning everyone from drug dealers to child molesters to even those who cut in line. The Crimson Bolt soon becomes a media sensation. He later attempts to rescue Sarah, but Jacques' thugs recognize him under the costume and end up shooting him in the leg. A wounded Frank goes to Libby for help and protection as his home is no longer safe with Jacques' thugs looking for him. Libby volunteers herself to be Frank's "kid sidekick" despite his objections, christening herself as Boltie. She proves to be even more unhinged than Frank, using her superhero guise to almost kill a man who may or may not have keyed her friend's car. Frank decides to let her go, but changes his mind when Libby rescues him from some of Jacques' thugs at a gas station by slamming her car into their legs. Libby soon becomes enamored with Frank, but her advances are turned down as Frank insists that he is still married. Deciding it is different when they are in their superhero identities, Libby ends up raping Frank in full costume. Going in the bathroom to vomit, Frank encounters a vision of Sarah in the toilet and decides that now is the time is going to rescue her from Jacques. Now armed with extensive weaponry, explosives and bulletproof vests Frank and Libby make an attack on Jacques' ranch, killing most of his men. At one point, they are both shot; Frank's vest deflects the bullet, sparing him, but Libby's face is partially blown off, killing her. Devastated by her death, Frank goes into a rage, killing the rest of the thugs. Inside, he has a final showdown with Jacques. Jacques ends up shooting and wounding Frank, but Frank gains the upper hand and stabs him to death. Frank takes Sarah home, and she stays with him for a couple more months before leaving again. This time, however, she manages to finally overcome her addiction and uses her experiences to help others with similar problems, and ends up getting married again and having children. Frank is happy for her, and decides that the reason why God chose him was so that he could rescue Sarah and help her get on with her life. The film ends on a similar note as it began, with Frank (now with a pet bunny) looking on his wall of happy memories. Only this time, instead of two isolated drawings, Frank's entire wall is covered with pictures of his experiences from his time spent with Libby to pictures of Sarah's kids, who call him 'Uncle Frank' . The film closes on Frank smiling with a tear running down his cheek.