| DAREDEVIL |
 2003 – USA
Director: Mark Steven Johnson - Reviewed by Vickie
It's kind of poofy and spiky at the same time, and it darts off in all kinds of crazy directions in a way that doesn't really befit a lawyer or a crimefighter. I mention this only because his hair proves to be one of his most formidable opponents in this slick but slightly hollow action flick based on the Marvel Comics character. Affleck stars as lush-locked Matt Murdock, who's a do-gooder lawyer by day—the kind of attorney who takes on underprivileged clients who pay him in fresh fish or free basketballs instead of cash. At night, however, Matt dons his tight leather jumpsuit and squeezes his mane into a pointy-eared hood to become Daredevil, a superhero with keen radar sense, who dispenses his own brand of vigilante justice on the ne'er-do-wells sliding through the cracks of the New York City legal system. Did I mention Matt and Daredevil are both blind? No? Well, they are. Which, I suppose, could explain the tragic tresses. Anyway... In the film, Matt meets Elektra (Jennifer Garner), a stunning beauty from a wealthy family who also happens to possess some lethal ass-kicking skills of her own and doesn't seem to mind Matt's fantastically funky follicles. Their budding romance hits the skids when her father is murdered by Bullseye (Colin Farrell), a ferociously intense (and REALLY entertaining) Irish supervillain with precision aim who can make any object into a deadly projectile. Bullseye is only the tip of the evil iceberg, though, having been called to duty by Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan), the hulking puppetmaster of Big Apple's entire crime syndicate. Eventually, the nefarious duo set their sights on Daredevil, as does Elektra, who mistakenly believes him responsible for her father's untimely demise. So, it's pretty much Daredevil vs., well, just about everybody from there on in. Like last summer's blockbuster Spiderman, Daredevil is a film that's big on action but not entirely rich in plot. It's comic book-y, and that works. Most of the time. The problem is, if you're someone who isn't well-versed in the character's mythology, things get confusing or, honestly, kind of boring. The story features some flashbacks to Matt's childhood, his washed-up boxer father (David Keith) and the toxic-waste accident that robbed Matt of his vision but gave him his powers. Then, suddenly, it's present day and Matt lives in a giant, cement loft with lots of cool gadgets, toys and costumes that look really expensive... but no explanation is ever given as to how that came about. Where did the money come from? Who raised Matt? And, most importantly, who made his outfits? Affleck does an okay job with his role, but he's actually better as the relatively silent Daredevil than he is as Matt. Something about him (the hair, perhaps?) just doesn't ring true and he looks like Ben-Affleck-playing-Matt-Murdock. Ditto Michael Clarke Duncan, who just seems too... nice?... to be taken seriously as a terrifying crimelord. He's too cuddly. Garner and Farrell are easily the film's standouts, benefiting from having the most colorful character material to work with and, seemingly, the most fun with their roles despite a troublesome deficit in screen time here. Both scream out for their own cinematic franchises. Overall, Daredevil was okay. It was fine. It wasn't amazing, it didn't knock my socks off, but it also wasn't horribly bad. It makes for a decent snowy-afternoon escape and will likely rake in truckloads of cash at the box office, anyway, so who cares? |
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Ben Affleck's hair is mildly distracting.
