Street justice triumphs in ‘Daredevil’
Darkness falls, blood flows and street justice triumphs in “Daredevil,” a decidedly gritty, intermittently rousing adaptation of the Marvel Comic about a blind superhero whose other senses have been greatly heightened due to exposure to a liquid biohazard. Due to the PG-13 picture’s Valentine’s Day release, many viewers may expect a colorfully exciting tale fueled by the sex appeal of its high-profile stars, Ben Affleck (“The Sum of All Fears”) and Jennifer Garner (TV’s “Alias”) as Daredevil and Elektra, respectively. The two attractive performers share a couple of sizzling scenes, but ultimately, “Daredevil” ranks as a grim weeper, a tragic tale in which cold-blooded acts of violence occur and death never takes a holiday.
No one can accuse director Mark Steven Johnson (“Simon Birch”) of attempting to mislead viewers. The film’s opening image shows Daredevil – bleeding and near death – clinging to the base of a crucifix atop a Catholic Church, appearing like a lost soul and looking in need of redemption.
Those seeking the type of colorful playfulness that anchored “Spider-Man” won’t find much of it here, though some viewers – particularly those who admire the dark tone Tim Burton added to “Batman” – should applaud Johnson’s artistically bold, if commercially risky approach to “Daredevil,” one of Marvel’s secondary though fascinating comic characters.
In the story, 12-year-old Matt Murdoch, who lost his sight and discovered new skills after a biohazard incident, is devastated after criminal mastermind Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan of “The Green Mile”) kills his beloved boxer/father (David Keith of “Behind Enemy Lines”) for refusing to throw a fight. Years later, Murdoch has become an attorney who works with wisecracking partner Foggy Nelson (Jon Favreau of “Swingers”) and handles the cases of those least able to afford legal representation.
By night, Murdoch becomes the roof-hopping Daredevil and fights crime in Manhattan’s intensely violent Hells Kitchen section. He soon has plenty of fights on his hands once the dagger-armed Elektra wrongly assumes that he has killed her father and he must also deal with the Irish madman Bullseye (Colin Farrell of “The Recruit”), a master at turning any sharp object into a lethal projectile.
“Daredevil” introduces too many characters without fully developing them and sometimes suffers from a no-frills look, but it provides some fun via some wirework sequences (including romantically inclined martial arts maneuvering between Affleck and Garner’s characters). It also features welcome cameos by Stan Lee (who created “Daredevil: The Man Without Fear” with Bill Everett in 1964) and writer/director Kevin Smith (“Clerks”), a devoted comic-book fan and author of some “Daredevil” graphic novels for Marvel.
Although it may not spin a financial web as wide as that of the wildly successful “Spider-Man,” “Daredevil” stands on its own. The film ranks as a surprisingly bleak tale with a hero who turns his disability into a gift and uses his own flesh and bone to redeem himself, strike down evil and embrace his faith.
FILM REVIEW
“Daredevil”
Grade: B
Starring: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Michael Clarke Duncan, Colin Farrell, Jon Favreau and David Keith; screenplay by Mark Steven Johnson, based on the Marvel Comic created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett; produced by Arnon Milchan, Gary Foster and Avi Arad; directed by Mark Steven Johnson.
Running Time: 105 minutes.
Parental Guide: PG-13 rating (strong violence, sexual elements, grim humor, adult themes).