| 20th Century Fox – Horseshoe Bay Productions – Marvel Entertainment – New Regency Pictures, 2003 | Runtime: 103 minutes | Rated PG-13 |
| Starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Michael Clark Duncan, Colin Farrell, John Favreau, Joe Pantoliano | ||
| Written by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the comic book by Stan Lee and characters created by Stan Lee, Bill Everett, and Frank Miller | Directed by Mark Steven Johnson | |
There are no good guys in Daredevil. Even the hero isn't very good, because he is Catholic, and therefore knows that revenge is a sin. This is one of a few things that makes Daredevil such an interesting movie, something that is quite a rarity among Hollywood comic book/superhero movies.
Last year, I gave the Marvel-produced Spiderman a positive review, citing that I felt this way despite my indifference towards comic books and my displeasure with most big-budget Hollywood action fare. After seeing Mark David Johnson's Daredevil, I am wondering whether there is a new era of good superhero movies upon us. (The earliest evidence of this was 2000's X-Men, the sequel to which is set to open on May 2nd of this year.) I am hoping that the pending release of The Hulk will not burst my bubble.
If you don't already know it, the premise for Daredevil is quite fascinating; much more so than that of any comic book I know of. Daredevil himself is actually Matt Murdock (Ben Affleck), the son of a washed-up prizefighter in Hell's Kitchen. When Matt loses his sight at a young age, all of his other senses are strengthened enormously. His sense of touch gives him perfect balance. His sense of sound lets him hear noises from extreme distances. He becomes the boy with no fear.
When Matt's father is killed, he decides to devote his life to giving people justice. He becomes a lawyer. When justice is not served to his clients, Matt becomes Daredevil. He goes out at night in a strange costume and gets revenge for his clients. His priest is the only one who knows that he is Daredevil, and he does not approve of his methods. "Justice isn't a sin," Matt tells him. The priest responds, "But vengeance is."
Matt eventually ends up in the arms of Elektra Nathcios (Jennifer Garner), who attempts to get her own sweet vengeance when her father is killed by the sadistic Bullseye (Colin Farrell). Bullseye works for Daredevil's nemesis, Wilson Fisk, known as The Kingpin (Micahel Clark Duncan). When Bullseye is called on to help The Kingpin with getting rid of Daredevil, he demands the whole supervillain package: "I want a costume!"
Daredevil, like Spiderman, is a special effects extravaganza. It is also a work of sound editing brilliance. The sound effects department captures Daredevil's superhuman sense of sound by escalating the sounds of water droplets to sound like explosions when close to Daredevil's ears. Effects like this are consistently and cleverly planted throughout the movie.
Among popcorn thrillers of recent years, Daredevil is one of a small handful that is worth seeing. It is certainly no masterpiece, but provides better entertainment than most movies like it. I recommend it. While it may not be the best movie playing at your local multiplex, it may be the only one that pleases the whole family.
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