I went to watch Daredevil with a friend at the local cinema last weekend. I was relieved that this film was a far darker look to the Marvel comic books. The film did have that 'Batman' feel to it and was a relief after last summers colourful, child friendly 'Spider-Man'.

As you may have guessed, the film is centred around the famous and mysterious Marvel Comicbook character Dardevil (Ben Affleck "Pearl Harbour", "Good Will Hunting") whose real identity is a lawyer, Matt Murdock. Murdock went blind at the age of twelve due to a chemical accident, but he was somewhat compensated with his remaining four senses being increased to superhuman status. It is then he becomes Daredevil, Lawyer by day, Jury by night as he prowls the city looking for those who get away clean in the courtroom. So far so good, we meet the Daredevil who seems to have a ill respect for human life when scumbags are involved. Instead of making a guy fall onto a subway track and get sliced in two by an oncoming train, if left in the hands of your friendly Neighbourhood "Spider-man", he would have stuck him to a pillar covered in sticky webbing for the police to conviently find.

Elektra's father Nikolas Natchios (Erick Avari - "The Mummy") is an associate of Wilson Fish, aka The Kingpin (Michael Clark "take my hands boss" Duncan - "The Whole Nine Yards", "Armageddon") the crimelord of New York City and the murderer of Daredevil's father. The back story is shown at the beginning of the film and we realise that it is Daredevil's quest to avenge his father's death by killing The Kingpin. After. To do away with Natchois after some disagreement, The Kingpin has hired the talent of Irish assassin, Bullseye (Colin Farrell - "Phone Booth", "SWAT") who can throw or shoot anything with deadly pin point precision. As he assassinates Elektra's father, Elektra thinks that it was Daredevil's doing, unaware that he is in fact her lover...

The curvaceous Jennifer Garner also seems a little awkward play rich man's daughter-cum-vigilante Elektra. It's not her acting talent thats to blame, its the fact that she takes it too seriously. As does everyone I feel. Michael Clark Duncan seems a little miscast as Wilson Fisk: The Kingpin. Although he has the physique the Mavel Comic Book Kingpin possesses, his face looks too friendly to be the face of a ruthless crime king. Joe Pantoliano makes the odd in and out appearance as jounalist Ben Urich, who's been folowing up on the Daredevil vigilante incidents that have occured and the theory (that is in actual fact reality) about one man in control of all crime in the city (Kingpin). Pantoliano's performance is acceptable and at times quite good.

The film has some comedy value which makes it feel lighter. The director (Mark Steven Johnson) seemed a little confused about what to do with the film. Although there was some clever use with the camera, he didn't really know what direction to take. The action sequence that takes place in the Bar was directed rather poorely as his use of 'sonar vision' was overused a liitle. Another thing, there was a random fight sequence in a city playground to which I can't find a real reason for. It was as if the director was flicking through the script and wanting to fill in time by adding a blatent martial arts sequence. I don't think it is quite the 'Masterpiece' they say it was on the TV. The end fight between Daredevil and the infamous Kingpin felt short changed as with the other action sequences leading up to that 'climax'.