Review of Daredevil (2003) by Kai82 — 22 Oct 2020

I don't know why this movie gets such low ratings. I know it is not an all time favorite but back then it was entertaining, had good humor and well done action / fight scenes. For clarification: I have not read the Daredevil comics as they were not well known in my country and know him mostly from crossovers with Spiderman and other heroes.

Still have to watch the Netflix series (I know shame on me). Back to this movie: It is the story of Matt Murdock. Lawyer by day and vigilante hero by night. He grown up in New York's in the Hells Kitchen neighborhood.

As child he had an accident that made him blind but improved his other sense to superhuman levels. He is the dark guardian of his neighborhood as crime rules. Hells Kitchen has a famous history of poverty, gangs and crime bosses ruling the streets.

More I wont tell because of spoilers. Ben Affleck is an excellent actor and I think he did an entertaining job here as Matt Murdock and Daredevil. I know he won the golden raspberry but think it is hardly the worst performance in this year.

Jennifer Garner as Elektra is dividing. I think the role was a misstep for her career while making no serious errors. She is believable but a bit misplaced by the script. The villains are however excellent.

Colin Farrell as Bullseye is such an enjoyable (slightly?) mad bad guy that you will love to hate. Then there is Michael Clarke Duncan as Wilson Fisk better known as Kingpin. He is intimidating, a brilliant plotter and always in control or adapting to every situation.

He is always a force to be recognized and one of the most acclaimed villains. I know that Wilson Fisk is white in the comics but don't care about skin color. We got such a good actor and performance that I will praise him.

Then there is the story. It is the classical first movie with introduction of the backstory, establishing the characters, settings and relations. So far nothing wrong here. The special effects are good and the fights are well choreographed.

I know that Marvel raised the bars later on so it may be a bit underwhelming for some. The soundtrack is excellent and I like Evanescence contribution here. Overall this is a forgotten superhero movie.

Hated by some and valued by others. I think it was entertaining at is time and is still watchable. Maybe less if you watch the Netflix series that I hear only praise.