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Daredevil
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Gloomy, comic-book based tale of a blind attorney (Ben Affleck) who seeks to save his new girlfriend (Jennifer Garner) from a vicious killer (Colin Farrell) by using his sharpened remaining senses and gymnastic abilities as a masked, nighttime enforcer of vigilante justice. As written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson, superspeed stunts and special effects can't disguise the shallow characterizations, flat dialogue and muddled moral message. Sympathetic treatment of vigilante justice, some brutal but stylized violence, a discreet sexual encounter and an instance of profanity. A-IV -- adults, with reservations. (PG-13) 2003
Full Review
Hoping to give "Spiderman" competition as a new movie franchise, Ben Affleck dons a burgundy cowl and leather suit to pose as New York City's nighttime crime enforcer, "Daredevil" (20th Century Fox). The movie's dark tone and chilly characters, however, will probably leave it far from the box office success that "Spiderman" achieved.
The set-up is nicely accomplished as we see 12-year-old Matt Murdock (Scott Terra) blinded by an accidental chemical spill, which motivates his father (David Keith) to return to the boxing ring, only to be murdered for refusing to throw a fight. Matt swears he will avenge the death and devote his life to getting justice for the underdog.
As an attorney, Matt defends only the innocent, but by night, using his superhuman, remaining senses and gymnastic vaulting abilities, he seeks out the guilty, such as the rapist he leaves in the path of an oncoming subway train. Matt seeks forgiveness in confession but his parish priest (Derrick O'Connor) will not condone his brand of vigilante justice. Conflicted, Matt becomes ambivalent about taking the law into his own hands.
A New York Post reporter (Joe Pantoliano) gives the unknown crimefighter the moniker "Daredevil," but no one suspects it could be a blind barrister. However, his "radar sense" allows him to somewhat "see" by the vibrations made by sound, and coupled with his extraordinary other senses, his visual handicap is greatly minimalized. The city's criminal underbelly is run by Kingpin (Michael Duncan Clarke) whose partner in crime, Natchios (Erick Avari), wants out. Instead, Kingpin orders a hit on Natchios by the rabid killer Bullseye (Colin Farrell).
Matt has just fallen for Natchios' daughter, Electra (Jennifer Garner), whose skill in martial arts equals his own, something they quickly establish upon meeting. But when her father is murdered, she mistakenly thinks Daredevil is the killer and sets out to slay him, unaware she is Bullseye's next target.
Although writer-director Mark Steven Johnson does pay attention to Matt's moral conundrum, including a very sympathetic portrayal of the priest, the message is mixed in that Matt agrees seeking vengeance is wrong, but ends up back in his red get-up, declaring he is the city's "guardian devil." His character is clearly well-intended but continues to rationalize taking the law into his own hands.
Visually, the dark lighting, special effects and speeded-up editing have the effect of making the mostly one-dimensional characterizations all the more apparent. Some of the stunts look preposterous, and uniformly drab dialogue further detracts from the movie. What is desperately needed is a vein of humor to offset a leaden film-noir treatment that is not emotionally involving. The violence walks the fine line of being so stylized as to look unbelievable while still being brutal in nature. Audiences may find its PG-13 rating generous for a film that could just as readily have been rated R.
Farrell's wild-eyed villain is strictly one-note and, Affleck's and Garner's romance looks far too rushed -- not to mention its unnecessary trip to the bedroom, however discreetly it is filmed.
Based on the Marvel Comics character created in 1964, "Daredevil" will draw its comic book aficionados, but may be a tougher sell to the mainstream audience so accustomed to airy, feel-good movies.
Due to its sympathetic treatment of vigilante justice, some brutal but stylized violence, a discreet sexual encounter and an instance of profanity, the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-IV -- adults, with reservations. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13
Movies have been evaluated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishop's Office for Film and Broadcasting according to artistic
merit and moral suitability. The reviews include the USCCB rating,
the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief
synopsis of the movie.
The classifications are as follows:
- A-I -- general patronage;
- A-II -- adults and adolescents;
- A-III -- adults;
- A-IV**
- L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
- O -- morally offensive.
** Discontinued classification. All archived movies that were originally in the A-IV category are now classified as L.
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