Movie Review: Daredevil
Batman, Spider-Man, The Hulk, we've heard of these comic book superheroes. But Daredevil? Sounds like a circus act. But wait, a blind guy who knows no fear out for justice and it stars the sexiest man alive and that feisty girl from 'Alias'. Ah, just in time for Valentine's Day, a kick-butt love story! This was the comic that both Ben Affleck and director Mark Steven Johnson were devoted to as kids. This might turn out to have some merit.
Young, inner city kid Matt Murdoch (Ben Affleck) is blinded when toxic waste splashes into his eyes. His dad, a prizefighter called "The Devil" (David Keith) is killed by city crime boss Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan) for not throwing a fight. Matt vows revenge, grows up to become a lawyer and uses his anger and waste-developed super powers (a radar sense of sight, super hearing, smell, etc.) to impose vigilante justice on criminals who escape the justice system.
Along the way he meets another butt-kicking leather-clad vigilante out to avenge her dad's murder. She's Elektra (Jennifer Garner) and she takes no prisoners. She and Matt fight it out and end up in love. Kingpin sends his henchman Bullseye (Colin Farrell) to kill the pesky devil. After besting Bullseye and some confusion over who is the real bad guy, Daredevil goes after Kingpin.
This film has much of the dark flavor of the Tim Burton original Batman, complete with a lonely hero bent on avenging his dad's death and finding roses that mark the spot where the dead fall, but this guy lives in a basement, not a mansion, pulls out his own teeth and pops pain pills!
Affleck was fine as crusading lawyer Murdoch but I wasn't too sure he was comfortable as the guy in the red leather suit and I didn't buy that he was all that soul-tortured either. Jennifer Garner and Colin Farrell, on the other hand, totally fit their action roles, with Jennifer acting feisty and combative, even when she's in love and Colin chewing the scenery as Bullseye, a really pissed off dude who uses everyday things like unfolded paperclips as weapons and rarely misses his mark. All I remember from comics about Kingpin is that he seemed really BIG.... Michael Clarke Duncan certainly fits that description. Jon Favreau provides good comic relief as Matt's law partner "Foggy" Nelson. Also, fans of Affleck and Garner will enjoy their martial arts scuffles and a brief, PG-13 love scene.
Action is fun to watch but hard to believe since we aren't told that Daredevil has any superhuman reason or tools to leap tall buildings at a single bound. Same with Elektra and Bullseye.. She's just supposed to have martial arts training and he's supposed to be a very angry but totally human dude. The special effects weren't always "real" looking in some of these scenes as well. The one really cool effect I liked was Daredevil's "rain" vision. His heightened powers allow him to "see" totally shimmery features in the rain.. Sure made Jennifer look extra beautiful.
There is some very corny voice-over dialogue about good and evil and Murdoch goes to confession at church constantly where the priest knows about his nighttime activities but doesn't like the "devil" suit. For a "good" guy, Daredevil is a little callous when he just lets a bad guy get run over by a train rather than roughing him up and turning him over to cops like other superheroes. I had some trouble following the story and wonder if some key scenes weren't cut. People just seem to know things and follow up non-existent leads without much explanation. I was left a little confused by the ending.
All-in-all, however, not a bad popcorn movie but not as complete an experience as the original Batman or last year's Spider-Man.
For some fun action and effects and a semi-hot love story, 3 out of 5 stars.
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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.
