Released on Valentine's Day in 2003, this $78 million dollar neo-noir superhero production
from director Mark Steven Johnson made just over $100 million in profit.
Ben Affleck stars in the title role as a New York City lawyer blinded by toxic waste who
uses his newly enhanced remaining senses to fight crime as an acrobatic martial artist
in Hell's Kitchen.
The original comic book character was written by Stan Lee, who was never one for subtly,
which is why Daredevil quite literally upholds the virtue, "justice is blind".
It makes the culmination of an early fight scene so unorthodox, as Affleck taunts a criminal
while watching him die.
Later, in an attempt to repair his image, or maybe just his own guilt, he reassures
a young bystander, "I'm not the bad guy, kid."
Overloaded with noise, he goes to sleep every night in a special deprivation chamber, frustrated
that he's unable to save everyone.
This is a bruised and tortured hero that seeks unrepentant justice.
Affleck does a surprisingly good job with the role, especially considering the thick
contact lenses he wore during filming made him virtually blind himself.
The auspiciously stacked cast also includes his future wife Jennifer Garner as a vengeful
ninja with a propensity for push-up bras, Colin Farrell as an impatient hitman who's
ability to throw darts really well is probably the lamest super power ever, and Michael Clarke
Duncan as an ominously large criminal kingpin.
They're joined by Jon Favreau, Joe Pantoliano, David Keith, and Leland Orser in smaller,
but pivotal supporting roles.
Given the hammy material, everyone is better than likely expected - but the romantic thread
at the film's core is ironically, its weakest component.
What may have worked behind the scenes between Ben and Jen clearly didn't translate on-screen,
as their exchanges feel stilted and stiff.
Their introduction by way of flirtatious fight - which reportedly took four full days to
shoot - moves at half-speed, and looks decidedly pre-rehearsed and fake.
Now while I appreciate Daredevil's superhuman sharpness to his remaining senses, there's
far too many harness-assisted jumps and tosses in this movie that simply are unrealistic
for these mortal characters.
Looking like he raided the wardrobe closet from "Battlefield Earth", Ferrell is a sharp
adversary, hurling shards of glass at our hero, who back-flip dodges the projectiles
in an awesome shot rather blatantly borrowed from "Spider-Man".
While the decision to set nearly 80% of the narrative inside a flashback is a bizarre
choice - the traditional origin story is still well-paced and fun.
When young Daredevil first wakes up following his mutating accident, the resulting scene
is a visceral one; as the frightened boy struggles to control his new radar hearing abilities.
It's this very deliberate and sensory sound mix that is paired wonderfully with Graeme
Revell's score.
But the accompanying pop soundtrack really dates this picture, combining the trite music
of Nickleback, Hoobastank, and an over-played Evanescence song during a training montage.
I originally saw this movie in theaters and honestly don't remember liking it that much
- but the extended "Director's cut" version I re-watched for this review pleasantly surprised
me.
Reincorporating a half hour of material into the film, this new 133-minute runtime allows
for so much more character development, something sorely lacking from the theatrical edition.
It also bumped the film up to a more mature R-rating, and includes an entirely new sub-plot
involving Coolio - which ties a lot of the smaller threads together in a necessary way.
"Daredevil" was Marvel's answer to DC Comics' "Batman"... and the two characters share a
number of similarities with their backstory and darker realism.
Which is why it's a bit amusing Affleck eventually got the opportunity to portray both on the
big screen.
Despite its mixed reception, this film led to the Garner-centric spin-off, "Elektra"
and a Netflix Original Series reboot in 2015, not to mention the three Affleck children
who owe their very existence to their parents meeting on set.
While the theatrical version was a misguided disappointment, the director's cut restores
this feature to an enjoyable adventure worth seeing for all Marvel fans.
"Daredevil" is an underrated film with redeeming characters.
Here's what you had to say in the YouTube comments.
The difference in opinion on this picture was striking, which was largely dependent
on what version you saw.
Criticizing the story and action, you thought this was MEH... which is what I rated this
movie the first time I saw it, but the director's cut has changed my opinion, I'm giving this
a SEVEN out of ten.