Not Another Raving Daredevil Review?!

Contributed by Coach K

Now that I’ve finished watching all 13 episodes of Marvel’s second adaptation of Daredevil (DD), I can safely say what I already knew by episode three–this show is incredible! Marvel/Netflix really nailed it with this one.

Now, this is the Daredevil that fans have been waiting for!!

I’ve always felt that there are less than a handful of characters in the Marvel and DC vaults that translate relatively well into live-action installments (small or big screen). However, as this production has shown, it can be done with a director who has a deft hand at storytelling as well as  a casting director who has an eye for selecting the right leads.

Comic book characters like Daredevil and Batman have real-life motivations, trials and tribulations that can be understood by a broad audience coming from various walks of life. It’s no coincidence that noted graphic novel writer Frank Miller had a major hand in re-defining both characters. Other comic book characters require more work for the director and the screenwriter to convince the audience of the 1) legitimacy of the characters’ world and 2) then the characters themselves (e.g. Thor who resides in a totally distant, fantasy world).

Daredevil has many good things going for it. But I’ve narrowed my list down to four things that really stand out:

Netflix is clearly the perfect vehicle for this. The gritty and serious film noir ambiance that the show takes automatically distinguishes it from the 2003 big-screen debacle that left a bad taste in mouths of fans and casual moviegoers alike (I contend that the 2003 Daredevil was Marvel’s version of the similarly poor 1997 Batman & Robin flic). Automatically from the tone of the show we know that this version of Daredevil will not be a cartoonish or slapstick adaptation.

Charlie Cox

Simply put, this guy can hold a scene and actually anchors the show both as Daredevil and his alter-ego Matt Murdock. That’s rare for a superhero movie. I’m usually somewhat bored during the scenes of the civilian identity of our hero–usually because the seemingly normal guy/gal is supposed to be boring in order to highlight the contrast in persona between the superhero and mild-mannered human. I think that this “Clark Kent effect” has been so popularized by Superman comics, movies, and TV shows that it has become a common template.

What’s amazing here is that Matt Murdock does not fall into the Clark Kent trap. He is not boring, in part because of the obvious thin line his alter ego shares with the “Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.” Murdock is witty and sharp, and constantly uses his abilities because they are so much a part of him. I think that a large part of what makes this character so interesting is Cox’s execution. He’s believable. Only time will tell, but he’s likely defined the live-action adaption of Daredevil for our generation, much in the same way that Christopher Reeve did for Superman in the late 70’s/early 80’s and Christian Bale did most recently with Batman/Dark Knight.

Supporting Cast

The supporting cast is surprisingly good. Elden Henson’s “Foggy” Nelson sometimes steals the show because of his great lines and comic timing. For a minute, Vondie Curtis-Hall, always good, is so believable as intrepid journalist Ben Urich that you forget that he’s an actor portraying an intrepid journalist. Bob Gunton’s Leland Owlsley is hilarious! He steals every scene he’s in. Everybody is solid, although I think some are better than others (I comment on both Woll’s Karen Page and D’Onofrio’s take on Wilson Fisk later). The great thing about this thirteen-episode format is that it provides sufficient time to develop the characters, so that we actually care about what happens to them.

Fighting Sequences/Music (Tie)

The fight scenes and the soundtrack are excellent, effective, “supporting characters” in the show. It’s a little subtle.

We’ve been so inundated with Hollywood turning any actor into a martial arts master (insert cough…Liam-ahem-Neeson) that we’ve become somewhat numb to it. Ok, this guy who is supposed to be someone’s pops can break limbs on screen faster than human eyes can register motion, and he can run on hot sand barefooted for miles with a bullet in his abdomen and still manage to kick someone’s teeth in? You get the picture I am sure.

I was pleasantly surprised at just how well-executed the fight choreography was. Daredevil’s fighting skills are part of what me him iconic in the comics–something that I think is sorely lost with Wolverine’s on-screen depiction. He exploits his enhanced senses to anticipate an opponent’s moves and gain perfect equilibrium, which allows him to blend acrobatics with a variety of martial art techniques. To make today’s audience believe that the Netflix Daredevil is the Daredevil from the comics, then the fight sequences have to feel real. It’s something that the director does not shy away from.

It is certainly not a perfect rendition, but Daredevils’ hand-to-hand combat scenes are some of the highlights of the show. For a reminder on the opposite of a “realistic” fight scene, go back and watch that ridiculous dance/fight sequence in the park between Affleck and Garner in the 2003 version. Worse, watch the final fight between Affleck and Duncan! As you can see, unlike a previous poster, I am not afraid to take shots at Affleck version, but I digress…

The soundtrack is the other supporting character. I grew up at a time when soundtracks and theme songs were a signature part of any movie or television show. For some reason, Hollywood has moved away from this all too often. Music moves people by stimulating emotions. The right tune/song, and placement of tune/song can do wonders for a show or film. How many of us still remember John William’s Superman score? Daredevil did a good job here too-the intro to every episode played the score in the background as well as whenever its hero took a triumphant turn.

I do have some minor critiques of the show. First, I think that the Karen Page character was the weakest. Although I believe that Woll was giving it her best, her portrayal of the character was just too mundane for my liking. It was hard to care about what would happen to her character.

On Fisk aka Kingpin

On the other hand, the Kingpin (although his alias is not used in this version, yet, at least) is very complex. I think that Vincent D’Onofrio’s, who is generally a solid actor, portrayal of Fisk as the classic “opposite-side-of-the-coin” version of Matt Murdock. Him similarly choosing to wear all black for most of the episodes is a very interesting message as well.

The main problem that I had while watching Kingpin’s character is that he seemed so stilted at times. I know that he was supposed to be portraying that he was uncomfortable interacting with people, but he honestly seemed like he was in a perpetual state of constipation. His sentences were almost guttural and every sentence just came off as being forced out.

How much of this is D’Onofrio vs. the director’s take on the character? Who knows? However, I found his performance distracting at times, and not in a good way. I think that the team behind the show missed an opportunity to convey just why Wilson Fisk is considered a villain for both Daredevil (and Spider-Man).

He’s not your ordinary smart gangster. He’s highly intelligent, more cerebral, and simultaneously charismatic and ruthless. His charisma allows him to maintain his false, public persona, while his ruthlessness is what he uses to maintain supremacy of the criminal underworld in NY. Capturing that duality better, in my humble opinion, would have made for a much more interesting character.