Guilty Pleasures #7 - Daredevil

I don’t have too much to rage at at the moment, but let’s take a look at another film that I don’t think is as bad as critics have often thought it was, Daredevil

It’s another Guilty Pleasure from Marvel Comics, specifically this time it’s Fox division. I don't know much about the comics this is based upon, but what I do know is that the modern day Daredevil is a dark and gritty saga defined by writer Frank Miller. (Yeah, this is before everything he wrote turned to sh*t)

It was popular enough for a movie to be brought out in 2003, earning a 5.3 on Idmb, a 45% rotten tomatoes rating, and while it was profitable, it made less than $200 million, the budget for a modern day Superhero movie. 

So, let's dig into the movie, and see exactly what went right, and what went wrong.

After way too long looking at the opening logos, we begin in New York City, or it's green screen equivalent, the names of the actors are done in brail, matching the lights of nearby buldings, sort of. It's actually clever, but it is just killing time

So, we actually begin in New York, with a long establishing shot, with brief shots of something happening, and I'll be damned if I know what. We get to the top of a church (symbolism?), where Daredevil is perched, with blood coming down the side.

He lowers himself into the church using a rope and something that allows him to get in from the roof but the rope isn't long enough and he falls. And yeah the opening credits are still going. A priest enters the room and begins to pray for him, taking off his mask and offering him water, we see the man is blind. It's a good time to flash back to his childhood.

"Can someone tell me why I'm in church in the middle of the night. Do I sleep here?"

In Hell's Kitchen: Matt Murdock, son of a professional wrestler is beat up by some bullies. He enters his house and finds his dad, drunk but unusually not abusive (I suppose had he been abusive Matt would've killed him, and Daredevil would become a psychopath) his dad notices Matt's injury from the bullies and warns that he doesn't want Matt fighting and would rather he studies and became a lawyer or doctor. (But absolutely not an avenging superhero wink wink)

Well, we have a loving father figure in a Super hero film, how long before he's dead? Matt takes a short cut home from school and sees his dad shaking up a local restaurant owner, Matt runs past some convenient bio-hazardous chemicals that are set up around the area where anyone can run through! You'd think there'd at least be a warning. A guy in a forklift who nearly runs Matt over turns to avoid it and pierces one of the barrels in such a way that the chemical sprays into Matt's eyes, how convenient. Also you'd think the barrels would be a bit better protected considering what they contain

No-one stop him or anything, it's not like they're handling dangerous, oh wait...
Speaking of, why is no-one wearing safety equipment, this was 2003!

He wakes up in a hospital, with clearly better hearing than normal. Able to hear quiet sounds from the room and the traffic outside. The bell seems to stop him hearing all the noise. Matt's father enters and apologises for what happened, Matt immediately forgives him (because that's realistic). Matt begins reading brail, as Matt's father begins to train and re-join the wrestling profession. Matt uses his new-found radar sense, and his enhanced senses to make the city his playground. I guess that's better than make the city his mother, isn't it Frank Miller?

We also get our Stan Lee cameo for the film, as he's stopped from crossing the road by Matt. The bullies decide to pick on a blind man because they're entirely soulless but Matt easily beats them up. At the wrestling ring, a man whose name I can't remember mentions the names of 3 people who've worked on Daredevil comics, anyway he suggests that Matt's dad throws the fight as the other people had for him. But Matt is at the match, and Matt’s dad eventually wins.

This upsets people and within a few seconds of this scene, he's brutally beaten and killed, with a red rose left on his corpse. So time for a flash forward within a flashback that's still flashing back (my head hurts): Matt Murdock (played by Ben Affleck) awakens from a sensory deprivation tank, or as I'd prefer to call it, a bath (be careful he doesn't drown) as we see him begin his daily routine. Puttting on the radio, getting money, and leaving for work.

Ah, the to be superhero kneeling before their dead loved ones, will this image ever get old?

Matt arrives at the trial of a suspected rapist. The rapist (and yes, I'm calling him a rapist, because he's guilty and there's no denying it) denies such claims, saying that the victim gave consent. Matt can hear his heartbeat and tell that he's lying. And then accuses him of such without any proof displayable to the court. The rapist is found innocent.

Apparently the rapist is being funded by the Kingpin. So it's time for justice to find another way: Daredevil spins his nun chucks around for no reason before diving into the city, being a dick to window cleaners on his way down. The culprit happens to be in a bar full of people and rather than doing the smart thing and waiting for him to come out, he stands on some support beams in view of everyone.

So we have an action scene. You know with all these jump cuts and flashing lights, I can't tell what the f*ck is going on! I think I may have be having a seizure 

So after he defeats people with guns, he pursues the rapist into the subway, the noise of the train disrupts his senses, unlike the dozens of noises going on in the bar. He has the rapist on the ropes until another train goes by, the rapist pulls a gun but Daredevil knocks him onto the tracks, letting him get run over by a train. Our hero.

A reporter named Eric interrupts a crime scene at the subways, suspecting the Daredevil was responsible for the murder. He throws a cigar into the platform, and it sets alight some oil in the shape of the Daredevil. Erm, yeah, bullsh*t! No way did Daredevil find a convenient stash of gasoline and conveniently made it into that ship, being blind, especially being constantly distracted by any other trains.

"I painted my name in gasoline despite being blind in the hopes that someone would conveniently toss a cigarette and light up my insignia"

Daredevil returns home and begins to narrate to himself, he enters his apartment and listens to his answer-phone messages. A girl dumps him for not being around while he's being Daredevil. He has a shower and takes some pills before returning to the tank to sleep.

Matt goes to the church and has told his priest about everything (for some reason). The priest is worried about him. So, more generic shots of New York, we flash into what might as well be a different movie. Matt Murdock and his friend discuss getting a new, richer client for their legal firm, when a pretty girl walks in. She doesn't give her name and she leaves, Matt sets off in pursuit. Wow, this is a tonal shift.

They bump into each other in a park, where in response to being touched by a blind man she tries to fight him. (Geez, if he really was helpless, which he thankfully isn't, you've just hit moral low) so the fight ensues and I can't help but feel a little creeped out. This is a park for kids. Matt is defeated, but the girl gives her name, Elektra. She'll be in her own movie later and it'll be absolute sh*t, apparently 

Ah, love

Time to introduce the Kingpin and a client, Mr Natchios. He wants the Kingpin to buy him out, as word is starting to get out about him. The Kingpin asks about his daughter and that's meeting over I guess, so time for Matt and Elektra to talk and for Elektra to give her inevitable backstory. Elektra had studied with a different sensei every year since she was 5, hence her skills. Back in the building of the Kingpin The Kingpin wants to create a trail leading to Mr Natchios as the Kingpin.

Now time to introduce Bullseye. He's a dick from Ireland and that’s shown by him killing a man in pub with some paper-clips (testing already my suspension of disbelief) and no-one calls the police. Back in New York, Matt missed the court appointment. On a plane, Bullseye kills an annoying woman on the plane with a peanut. And no-one notices. The flight attendant even thinks she's sleeping (well, she's in for a shock when they land).

Daredevil notices one man beating up another and the sight of his shadow scares him away. He makes his way into a hotel but Daredevil makes his way up and beats him. Stopping himself from killing only because of the sight of a small child crying. (Well, dress up as the devil, and… You kind of will get that reaction)

Daredevil is rather depressed by the child crying (I’d assumed he'd been active long enough to have been used to that) Matt Murdock enters the office and receives an invitation to a ball Elektra's father is hosting. That night, Elektra and Matt reunite (of all the people in … ah you get the idea, what a coincidence) he takes her to roof and finds her necklace, a good luck charm from her mother, given to her before she died. Murdock enquires if he can get one in brail (remember this, it's a plot point later)

This brought to you by the New York State Board of Tourism

Matt Murdock reveals that because of the rain on people, his radar sense can sort of see them again, I’m not even gonna question this, I don't know how accurate this is to the comic. They start to kiss when Matt hears the sound of someone being beat up or something, but despite wanting to leave, he elects to stick with Elektra (pun intended)

They start making out in front of a fire but Elektra is gone before he wakes up, leaving the invitation. At the hotel where the party is being held, Matt and Franklyn meet up with the reporter from earlier, accidentally knocking Matt’s blind-man's stick out of his hands, he picks it back up, admiring the colour and markings.

Franklyn eyes Wilson Fisk, who we already know as the Kingpin. He tries to offer his services, but Matt refuses to allow him as a client stating that they only represent innocent clients. Wilson responds that nobody's innocent. Matt eyes (or smells or something, since he can't see) Elektra, and walks upstairs, through clouds of cigarette smoke to see her.

See that guy on the left, that's Wesley, seriously

Murdock promises nothing bad is gonna happen, so we can expect to see Bullseye very, very soon. Fisk approaches Elektra's father and gives him a rose, he knows he's marked for Death and proceeds to leave, Elektra follows after him. Bullseye drives through the City, and uses shurikens in his belt to kill the drivers of the limousine carrying Elektra and her father. Daredevil arrives, and manages to avoid Bullseye's throw. This really pisses him off

Daredevil kicks him off his motorcycle but Bullseye steals his nun chuck cane thing and uses it to kill Elektra's father. Elektra, despite the fact that in her position she should've seen the attack, blames Daredevil for the murder and starts shooting at him. Bringing our second act to a close, back to dark and brooding now.

The police find the cane at the crime scene, which the reporter (Ben Urich) conveniently observes. Gee he has an act for showing up just where the plot needs him to be. Matt returns to the father from the church before we witness the funeral, where Fisk is present. Elektra wants revenge but Matt tries to ward her away, as it rains Elektra decides that she cannot, and leaves.

The reporter offers a bribe to erm Kirby? (Reference to Jack Kirby, the comic writer/artist? Far as I know he didn't work on Daredevil.) Where they reveal that the nun chuck Daredevil uses is also his blind man's cane) the reporter knows who Daredevil is.

I'm sittin' in your chair cause I'm a motherf*ckin' badass

Reports now indicate that Elektra's father was the Kingpin and Daredevil is implicated in his murder. In the office of the real King Pin, Bullseye has murdered a security guard with pencils (serious, store out of knives or something?) Bullseye's still p*ssy that Daredevil made him miss, which I suppose means it's time for this meme again.

Bullseye asks for a costume. The reporter meets with Matt Murdock, and explains that he believes that Elektra's father was set up, and that Elektra's in danger. Elektra uses her skills and cuts open a load of sandbags, which have Daredevil's face on them (all done to wake me up inside, and yet, more flashing lights and lots of cuts again) Daredevil gets in costume.

Daredevil prances about through alleyways and climbs up to a roof. Bullseye, in a really dull costume is close by, but it’s not him the strikes first, it’s Elektra. He tries to claim that he didn't kill her father, but in only works after he's taken a blade through the shoulder and is unmasked. Elektra immediately backs down. Bullseye attacks Elektra, stabbing her through the hand with her own sais, Elektra starts to fight back, but it appears the sensei were a waste as she's beaten, choked near to death and then stabbed.

"Sorry, I've gotta kill you so you can be in your cr*ppy sequel"

The police arrive with a helicopter but not in time to capture the killers, so we're back at the beginning with Daredevil in the church. The father wakes him up, but Bullseye isn't far away. A fight begins upon an organ. Leading to a stain glass window, where Bullseye uses all of his shurikens and Daredevil avoids them using one of Elektra's sais, Bullseye smashes a window and uses glass shards as weapons, but Daredevil manages to avoid all of them.

Bullseye uses the church bell to disorient him, before arrogantly revealing that the Kingpin is Wilson Fisk, he shows the rose, and realises that the Kingpin was responsible for his dad's murder. Bullseye goes to impale him, but Daredevil grabs the wooden spike and forces it into such a position that the police sniper shoots right through his hands. He then throws Bullseye out the window, landing right on the reporter's car.

After making an impossible jump, we cut to Daredevil going after the Kingpin himself. He takes off his shirt, standing in only a vest as Daredevil confronts him. A fight ensues, and the Kingpin starts winning using his own upbringing and superior strength to his advantage. He unmasks Daredevil, who then activates some sprinkler systems. Thanks to his magically improved radar in water, The Kingpin is brought down. Matt refuses to kill him (first time for everything).

That's right, I'm jacked!

He promises to reveal to the world who Daredevil is, but Murdock says he wouldn't admit being defeated by a blind man. Apparently the word is out on the Kingpin (when did that happen?) So now he’s being arrested too. Matt leaves a flower, and we cut to that café the lawyers spend most of their time at. Matt decides to leave and erm more narration, and a hint that Elekra's alive and she left him a good luck necklace in brail.

The news reporter types up his story but decides to delete it because a murderer should definitely be allowed to get away with it. Lots more narration, and the movie's over. Wait, there's a mid-credits scene, Bullseye's annoyed by a fly and manages to pin it to a wall with an injector, so he's alive and I assume he must've talked too. That might be bad for his health

"I'm sorry Matty, I've gotta leave you so I can be in my own sh*tty sequel"

And that was Daredevil. Is it a good movie? No. Did I enjoy it? Well, yeah

The problems with this movie are many. The tonal shift in the second act felt forced, the redemption ark of Daredevil felt forced, the motivation of Bullseye was frankly childish, and the climactic battle between them ended too early for a showdown with the Kingpin based on information gathered at the very last second. 

The acting was actually pretty solid, same to stay of the stunt choreography. I just wish the editing of the action scenes would've been more cohesive. I also wish they could've avoided the endless stream of establishing shots. We're in Hell’s Kitchen, New York, we know already!

On the left is Karen, did they flesh her out in the extended version, because like Wesley, she seems pointless!

Ben Affleck's performance as Daredevil was not a problem with this movie; he's just let down with a not particularly great script, and some terrible editing in places. Having seen this movie I don't have any problems with the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman. Let's hope of the Man of Steel sequel has a decent script and tone, and it'll be a great match-up.

Rage Rating: -80%

Next: Knight and Day

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Images used in this review are from Daredevil and belong to their respective owners. All images in this review are subject to fair use.