Comic Book Movies 101: Daredevil

• 28th Feb 2011

Personally I never worked up the nerve to see Daredevil on its original theatre release as the reviews were nothing short of hostile. So I took on this assignment with an almost overwhelming sense of dread despite my best efforts to remain neutral. Daredevil is actually Matt Murdoch (Ben Affleck), a blind lawyer who, following the murder of his father, has vowed to represent those unable to stand up for themselves. The film puts Daredevil alongside another Marvel heroine in the guise of Elektra (Jennifer Garner).  They must work together to bring down the Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan) and his hired assassin Bullseye (Colin Farrell).

Sadly, from the very first frame, the look of the film is left sorely wanting. A mix of badly-made sets and sub-par CGI effects make for a bad start. Despite all the modern technology at their disposal, not to mention the budget, the cityscape comes off looking like some poorly designed Playstation game from 1995; nothing actually looks realistic which is a slight problem once you place the actors in front of this shabbily assembled backdrop.

The performances of Affleck and Garner as the romantically linked Daredevil and Elektra have about as much heat as the frozen tundra of Hoth. To say that the courtship sequence in which Daredevil attempts to get Elektra to tell him her name is painful would be a gross understatement.  After following her to a playground they undertake an appallingly choreographed fight coupled with what can only be described as a balancing act taken straight from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. It’s almost impossible to believe following this experience that either Affleck or Garner had any actual sexual interest in each other. The fact that the two actors later married and now have children is utterly astounding given this sequence.

Then you have the bad guys – Kingpin, played by the man-mountain Michael Clarke Duncan, and the Irish bad boy Colin Farrell as Bullseye. What I had hoped would be the saving grace of the film was, in fact, another bitter disappointment. In the case of Kingpin the role is just plain dull and there’s little to nothing that the enormous actor can do with the badly written part. When it comes to Farrell playing Bullseye as a hard-drinking, wise-cracking Irishman, his performance slips so far into the territory of camp that he may very well have had John Waters directing. Farrell minces around throwing a variety of objects as weapons before whispering “That’s a bullseye,” in a voice that’s as menacing as a basket full of kittens.

Sadly Daredevil is an utter mess from first frame to last – yes, I watched the entire film. The characters are dull, the casting is nothing short of ridiculous and the action is as exciting as that in Driving Miss Daisy. Affleck had at this time already entered the canyon of mediocrity that was the “Beniffer” days, whilst Garner seems to be so repelled by his rampant J-Lo induced egomania that the last thing she would ever consider would be carnal relations with the man. The only saving grace ends up being Farrell who is so utterly ridiculous as Bullseye that he alone seems to have transcended the futile attempts to take this film seriously. His ultra camp turn as the frankly useless assassin at least will induce hearty laughter. The only conclusion I can draw from watching Daredevil is that the entire creative team responsible for this cadaver of a film simply gave up about three days into production. I only wish they’d sent me the memo.

Aled Jones