Daredevil (2003)

 

My, how we've come a long way in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We already had 'Blade' which was fine but maybe a bit too early to make a splash and then there was 'Daredevil', which also was a bit early but did make actor Jon Favreau decide he wanted to tackle the property of 'Iron Man'. The rest, as they say, is history. Now 'Daredevil' is by no means the best of the Marvel kingdom, but it often gets maligned way too much for what it is. It is, in essence, a flawed yet enjoyable superhero flick. 

As long as you stick to the Director's Cut, as the theatrical version was cut up in incomprehensible ways. 

Benn Affleck plays Matt Murdock, a lawyer who was blinded as a child by an accident with chemicals and who now has superhuman senses (except for his eyesight, obviously). By day, he and his partner Foggy Nelson (Favreau) represent the poor and downtrodden, while at night Murdock dons the red leather costume of Daredevil to bring justice to those who escape it. It isn't an easy life, which is probably why Affleck seems to be brooding so much.

No really: a lot of this film is brooding Affleck. This film suffers from what later would be known as the 'DC film affliction': everything is dark, gritty and, well, broody. 

Anyways...

Murdock falls in love with Elektra Natchios, which isn't a crisp, but the daughter of a Greek magnate who is partners with the Kingpin of crime but who wants out. But you can never leave the service of the Kingpin alive, so the crime boss calls for an assassin named Bullseye to slay Natchios. This works, but alas Elektra now thinks that Daredevil is to blame for her father's death. This makes no sense whatsoever, because she literally saw Bullseye toss one of Daredevil's billy clubs towards her father. 

Yes, I know: of all the flaws this story has, this detail gets me the most. Who knew?

So now it all comes together as Elektra hunts Daredevil, Bullseye is also in the mix and someone still needs to punish Kingpin. 

So yes, this film has its problems. The forced darkness and "Ooh, look at me, I'm so gritty and dark!" are some of the things that don't work, because if you boil it down to its core, every superhero film is about people in tight outfits doing extraordinary feats. You need some silliness in there. But that being said, most of the acting is rather decent. Sure, Affleck was directed to be this dark avenger (see what I did there?) but he is passable as Matt Murdock. Jennifer Garner doesn't have a lot to do as Elektra and quite honestly: her character deserved a better story. But Michael Clarke Duncan is a great Kingpin, not just because he has the stature of a giant (the man was - and I say this politely - big), but he has that cool swagger that the Kingpin needs. That's great casting right there. 

Who really feels out of place though, is Colin Farrell as Bullseye. Everything about his performance is hokey, from the obviously fake scarification on his forehead (come on, you want to be serious and you do thàt?) to his over the top schmalzy acting. Nope, he stinks as a bad guy and not even the brutal slaying of Elektra can help this. 

But does that all make 'Daredevil' worth it? I'd say it still does. Sure, it's not as entertaining as other entries in the vast Marvel Universe, but it does get a few things right and if you check the Director's Cut, it can be fairly enjoyable. Give it a chance, it is not as bad as some would have you believe.