Daredevil is a superhero who first appeared in comics way back in 1964. He is the billed as 'The Man without fear' and rightly so. His backstory is that as a boy he was blinded by toxic chemicals (everyday occurrence in comic book world) however the same chemicals also enhanced all of his other senses making him stronger, acrobatic, and with perfect balance. The sense most affected was his hearing which means that not only can he literally hear everything but also 'sees' soundwaves giving him almost 'sonar sight'.
By day Daredevil (Ben Affleck as 'Matt Murdock') is a lawyer, however by night he dispenses the justice the courts cannot. He is also driven by the murder of his father when he was a child and an obsession with stopping 'The King Pin' who is said to control all of the crime in the city (Michael Clarke Duncan). The main story kicks off when Matt meets Elekra (Jennifer Garner). The attraction is mutual, however her father is involved in some shady business with the King Pin. When this goes wrong the King Pin, and his assassin Bullseye (Colin Farrell) come after Elekra, with Daredevil trying to protect her.
The story is a lot of fun and flows well. All of the main cast do good jobs and the main four actors seem to be enjoying themselves a lot. Ben Affleck plays the lead very well with a good amount of humour, but also some very sad moments when he's trying to find peace (hence the way he sleeps in the isolation tank). Jennifer Garner looks fantastic and is impressive as the ass-kicking Elekra. The chemistry between herself and Affleck is good and you can see how they ended up as an item. Michael Clarke Duncan is big and imposing and is picture perfect for the comic book villian and Colin Farrell is also entertaining as the psychotic assassin who doesn't miss.
The special effects are excellent and although you know there is a decent amount of CGI involved it never takes over and mixed well with the wire work and live action. The two fights between Elekra and Daredevil are excellent examples of this. Also when ever you're seeing through Matt / Daredevil's vision is very well done and must have taken alot of computer hours.
The version I saw was the directors cut which has about an extra 30 minutes on the theatrical release, if possible I'd recommend this to people as the extra scenes add a lot to the storyline, especially the scene with Matt and Elekra in the rain (means the ending makes more sense). The scenes where Matt is contemplating his role as a vigilante are good, the whole 'I'm not the bad guy' is interesting, especially when you compare his actions in the finale to those at the start of the film with his first bad guy.
The film ends with enough scope for a sequel which seems to be standard for comic book adaptations these days, although strangely so far it's Elekra who's had the spin off in her own film. My only slight complaint is that they tried to get so much into the film that it can seem a little rushed and that's probably the idea behind a possible sequel to further explore some unused ideas. I recommend this film as a good popcorn movie which will appeal to most people.
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Production Year: 2007 - Action/Adventure - Director: Paul Greengrass - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen, Edgar Ramirez, David Strathairn, Paddy Considine, Albert Finney
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
When justice is blind it knows no fear. 30 minutes of never before seen footage ... more
seamlessly edited back into the film creating a whole new sub-plot featuring a brand new character! Ben Affleck is Matt Murdock a.k.a Daredevil. As a young boy he lost...
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More Action...More Excitement...More Daring Than Ever!Grittier and edgier than the ... more
original theatrical release, this extended-length Director's Cut version of Daredevil contains over 30 minutes of never-before-available scenes, including a devilish sub...
![Daredevil (Director's Cut) [DVD] [2003]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78500202.jpg "Daredevil (Director's Cut) [DVD] [2003]")
Apr 10th, 2006
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