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Title: Daredevil
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Parents take note: Despite the PG-13 rating this film is far more violent then your typicle superhero film. Characters get stabbed, bleed, get cut, and beaten to death.. Recommended for ages 15 and up. |
Out of all the superhero movies that have been made, "Daredevil" has had the most difficult when it comes to getting respect. Even "Hulk" had an easier battle to fight then "Daredevil" wound up with. Because aside from the fact that this movie got "two thumbs up" on "Ebert & Roeper" (a worthy praise that is surprisingly absent from the DVD cover of this movie) lots of critics panned this movie as being too dark, having too much action, an unbelievable romance, and for not being as good as "Spider-Man!" Oh, and Ben Affleck was in "Daredevil," meaning that the movie automatically sucked to some people. I personally don't understand why Ben is the is a target for the world when it comes to lousy acting, because Ben has proved himself a worthy actor in movies such as "Changing Lanes," "Chasing Amy," "Bounce," and "The Sum of All Fears." All he needs is the right script and directing, and with those he can churn out very good performances (and PLEASE don't bring up "Pearl Harbor!" That movie was a mess, but NOT because of Affleck). Plus, Ben Affleck was a perfect choice to play Daredevil because, unlike most actors who portray superhero's, Ben has a real love and understanding for the Daredevil character, so the performance feels more real then most superhero performances feel. However maybe I should talk about the actors later and start with the story first.
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The story begins with Daredevil lying in a church cathedral, severely wounded and now breathing his last breath while his life flashes before his eye's. Matt's life was not a great one. His dad was once a great fighter, who was dubbed Jack"The Devil" Murdock, however now he is a low down drunk who's life has no purpose and meaning. Even though Matt is disappointed in what his dad has become, he looks up to his dad, and does the best he can in school so that he can make his dad proud. One day, on the way home from school, Matt see's his dad doing a dirty crime, and as he runs from the scene of the crime he accidently runs in front of a fork truck carrying toxins. The toxins spill, and Matt becomes blind. Even though Matt loses his eye sight, his other four senses are heightened, and now Matt can hear, smell, and feel everything ten times better now, and now (with these heightened sense) he can literally can picture the way the world looks in his mind. Matt trains himself everyday, and soon he can do things that most people can't...however the great feeling of being so strong is short lived, as shortly afterwards his dad is murdered, and Matt vows to seek vengeance on the evil people of the world who harm the innocent. Yeah, as far as superhero movies go, Matt's mission is far from unique, but on the other hand, we wouldn't want the goal to be anything but. As an adult we see that Matt has become a lawyer for innocent people only, and feels so strongly about helping the innocent that he even accepts gifts and specialty items from clients rather then money if the client can't afford it (much to the dismay of his partner).
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Matt doesn't win too many of his cases though, and the main reason is because most of the scums he goes up against are backed up by a crime lord known only as "The Kingpin," and The Kingpin has a powerful grasp on pretty much all of New York City. So for all the criminals that wind up scot free, Matt goes after them as Daredevil, and when he finds them he either punishes them brutally or just out right kills them. Harsh? Possibly, but Daredevil looks so cool in that costume, that it just makes it okay for him to do this kind of stuff. Shortly into the movie Matt meets the sexy Elektra Natchos, who definitely appears to have her own superhero career ahead of her. Add in a subplot about an Irish assassin named Bullseye (played brilliantly by Colin Farrel), and you've got one heck of a roller coaster. Not an Oscar caliber story, not a deep piece of filmaking, but a fun movie (in it's own sick and twisted way). In a way, I can see why many people would be disappointed with this movie (especially coming on the heals of the excellent "Spider-Man"); "Daredevil," at times, is more style then substance. The story sounds like it's complicated, yet when you piece the whole thing together, the story appears to be unfinished. Things happen without much explanation, some of the motives behind the characters actions are supposed to have a greater meaning behind them, yet we only get glimpse into their person lives, and how Daredevil finds out about Kingpin's operation is unconvincing at best. So yes, I'll admit that the story is flawed and feels unfinished, yet almost everything else is top notch.
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For starters the movie is gloriously dark and violent. Except for when Matt is walking around in broad daylight, New York looks like a gothic city that it filled with evil and hate. When Daredevil lurks through the night, his shadows and body movements in the shadows are so cool looking and creepy, you can understand why criminals with guns run away rather then try to shoot him. Also, whenever someone actually attempts to fight back, Daredevils fighting moves are pulled off with such grace and style, that the fights start to look like darker, more violent versions of the fights from the excellent "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." That may seem like a strange comparison, but the fights really are the most stylish super hero fights filmed to date (even the fights in "Spider-Man 2" pale in comparison to the fights in Daredevil). The director also has an eye for spell binding visuals. A great scene in this movie that no one talks about is when Matt takes Elektra are on a roof top. While they are on the roof it starts to rain, and it's almost as if Matt can see again when it rains, and as he pictures Elektra's face as the rain hits it...well, words can not describe how beautiful this scene is, you HAVE to see it to understand it! The acting in the movie is also very good. Getting back to the whole Ben Affleck thing I have to tell you right now people: Ben's Daredevil, and he does a very good job in this movie. Deal with it. Jennifer Garner as Elektra also does a pretty good job in this movie. However the real show killer is Colin Ferral's performance as Bullseye.
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Ferral's portrayal of the Bullseye is not deep (much like the character isn't that deep), yet the Bullseye character is so cool, so much fun, so evil, and so darn cool, that it doesn't really matter that Bullseye is the least complicated character in the whole movie. After all, why should you care about being a deep character when you're this cool? Ferral appears to be having the most fun in this movie, and it should be noted that this is the first American movie Ferral has made where he's been allowed to speak with his Irish accent (which most likely contributed to the cool factor of the performance). However regardless of who you're talking about, the performances are excellent all around, and the director certainly had a good eye out for the perfect cast when he made this movie. However what ultimately bogs the movie down to an above average attempt is the story. The story isn't bad per say, but so many things happen without much explanation, that sometimes it feels like the movie is jerking the viewer around, and the ending makes even less sense then the ending in "Metal Gear Solid 2" (a popular video game, for those who are unaware). It has a defiant ending, but you have so many questions at how the movie wound up to the conclusion it did, that you may find yourself frustrated with the movie. Never-the-less, "Daredevil" delivers a fun action movie, and while the ending and story have quite a few issue's, the excellent fight sequences, the clever use of Daredevils senses, the performances, and the eye popping visuals and set designs make the movie worth watching at least once. Just don't expect Shakespear or anything.
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