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    Daredevil

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

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    This might date this review a bit, but let me begin by saying that I am watching this film well before “Batman vs. Superman” is being released, and I don’t know what all of the Ben Affleck hate is about. I know there’s a new “Daredevil” show out on Netflix as well and it’s sure to gather a lot of people dismissing that “old movie” as trash, but hey, just wait a moment. I’ve just finished the director’s cut (which ads a full 30 minutes to the running time), and it does have some flaws but otherwise this is a solid 2000’s superhero movie. I like it a lot and putting it in the same category as “Ghost Rider” or “Fantastic Four” is a grave mistake. I can’t remember what the theatrical cut was like, but this version runs about 2hrs and 15 minutes so there are some significant changes.

    When Matt Murdock (Ben Affleck) was a boy, he was blinded by a chemical spill. It wasn’t a total loss though because his remaining senses where enhanced to superhuman level. As an adult, he uses his sonar-like hearing to walk around as if he could really see, but he pretends to be just a regular blind guy. It’s the perfect disguise for his superhero alter ego, Daredevil. When Matt and his legal partner “Foggy” (Jon Favreau, who like Chris Evans also went on to star in some of the best Marvel films) take on a case, it all seems to point towards the ever-elusive, legendary, Kingpin of Crime (Michael Clarke Duncan) Daredevil works his way up the ladder, encountering the crackshot assassin Bullseye (Collin Farrell) and a lovely lady named Elektra (Jennifer Garner)

    What I like about this movie is that it spends ample time showing you that Matt Murdock is a tortured man, the kind of guy you can believe would wear a costume and spend his nights beating the living snot out of criminals. He’s emotionally distant, has a lot of guilt about what he does, second guesses himself and is very angry on the inside. He’s a lawyer that encounters the worst people imaginable every day and he’s fed up with seeing the ones who have the right connections or enough muscle to intimidate witnesses worm their way out of an appropriate sentence. What I liked even more was that you can also see that there are moments where he is a nice guy and he isn’t always moping around complaining about that one person he couldn’t save. He tells jokes, he flirts with women and has friends. You get to see him as a regular guy that takes advantage of his powers but also feels the burden of them. One of my favourite scenes happens just as he’s about to call it a night after getting into a vicious fight with a dozen thugs. He is about to lie down when he hears the screams of a woman being murdered. He perks up a bit, then looks discouraged. He knows there’s nothing he can do, and if he went out in the exhausted state that he is, he would only get himself killed. It’s a difficult thing to do, but he must go to bed and try to let it slide, for now. That scene, with the clever detail that the man sleeps in a sense depravation tank in order to get some peace and quiet really impressed me. That single moment speaks volumes about the character and that’s a sign that this is a legitimately good movie, one that’s been unjustly dismissed.

    When it comes to the supporting characters there’s a lot to like. First up our main villain, Bullseye. What I like about this guy is that they make him delightfully evil. He’s a sociopath that kills people in increasingly difficult ways... because it’s a way for him to get his jollies. He doesn’t use guns. Those are for your run-of-the-mill assassins. This guy’s weapons of choice will make you look at pencils, toothpicks and office supplies in a totally different way. I also enjoyed the fact that he’s given a real character. He’s full of himself and very proud of his skills, to a fault. He also appears to suffer from some sort of OCD because he’s always being overly theatrical and boastful, but in a way that’s believable (unlike say, Two-Face from “Batman Forever”) I liked seeing Jennifer Garner as Elektra. There’s real chemistry between her and Murdock and she’s not just some damsel in distress that needs to be rescued during the climax. She’s got a lot of different facets to her personality. The last guy I want to talk about is Michael Clarke Duncan as the Kingpin. I know traditionally he’s a really fat white guy but I actually like him better here than anywhere else. This Wilson Fisk is a powerful presence. He’s scary, but not in an obvious way that would have every single person in New York screaming “that’s the bad guy! Right there! ”

    Only two things really bother about this movie. There isn’t enough action because there are so many moments where the characters and their relationships are explored and like most of the 2000’s superhero films, many scenes contain dated CGI that makes you wish they were using practical effects, or just had more realistic battles that could actually have been done with the actors. The other is that the film is just a tad too long. I can forgive both because it really is an entertaining film filled with interesting characters and complex relationships, but it’s worth noting.

    If you think that “Daredevil” is a bad movie, you just need to revisit it by watching the Director’s Cut. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the drama and how well developed all of the characters are. It captures the spirit of the dark Marvel comic books that made this guy a favourite in the first place. (Director’s Cut on Blu-ray, march 26, 2015)

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    adamwatchesmovies@  12.4.2015 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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