Daredevil
written and directed by Mark Stephen Johnson
based on characters created by Stan Lee, Bill Everett, and Frank Miller
starring: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Collin Farrell, Michael Clarke Duncan



       The process of adapting a comic book to film doesn't seem that difficult.  Most comics are like well-drawn story-boards and much of the visual imagination needed to bring a novel to screen is unnecessary with such a pictural media.   Yet with Mark Stephen Johnson's new film Daredevil, the real differences between comics and movies become far too apparent. 
          Based on the Marvel Comics super-hero, Daredevil follows the story of Matt Murdock (Affleck), who, as a boy has both the misfortune to be blinded by toxic waste and then witness the murder of his father without the opportunity to see the killers.   Years later, he has honed the rest of his senses to superhuman degrees and also become a pro-bono lawyer.  At night, Murdock dresses up in red leather , becoming judge, jury and executioner for those criminals who slide innocently through the legal system because of their connection with a corrupt businessman known as the Kingpin (Duncan).   He becomes torn with his reputation as a vigilante which gets even worse when, thanks to a crazed hitman called Bullseye (Farrell),  he is blamed for the murder of Nikolaos Natchios (Erick Avari), who happens to be the father of his new martial-artist girlfriend Elektra (Garner). 
         With his script, Johnson shows a great understanding of the Marvel Comics super-hero and the universe in which he resides, showing familiarity even with past writers and artists of the series which he references throughout the movie.  Daredevil doesn't tell the greatest story, ever, but I was far more interested in it than other recent attempts at the genre.   Maybe because I am less familiar with the characters, here, or possibly because there seems less attempt to make them more real than they need to be. 
         Nearly every shot in the film seems lifted from the pages of the comic, with stylish framing and in-your-face allegory.  Take, for instance, the metaphor implied when Natchios is killed, shot overhead, laying atop a scattering of newspapers as reporter Ben Urich (Joe Pantoliano) arrives.   Then, there are the scenes focused on Murdock's POV with figures becoming more "visible" through his senses of hearing or touch.  Johnson has even come up with some interesting imagery both with his use of rainfall and use of a heartbeat.
       Unfortunately, while the story and visuals would make for a great comic book, the cinematic elements of Daredevil are a disappointment.  The shots, while great on their own, rarely cut well, particularly in the awkwardly choreographed fight sequences.   With each battle, I became confused in my attempt to follow the action.  The worst fight scene, though, is actually the most fluent, with Murdock and Elektra slowly showing off their moves to each other on a playground in what would seem like a badly staged rehearsal. 
           The acting, too, leaves much to be desired.  Casting hot young stars is a good move for the studio in order to sell the lesser known characters, and they aren't the worst actors in Hollywood today, but comic books usually sound laughable when read aloud, and that seems to be the case here.   Only Farrell knows how to have fun with his character, maybe because Bullseye is the least developed in the picture.
        I did enjoy Daredevil.  I had low expectations, though, and found myself far more entertained than anticipated.  There are some memorable scenes and some decent photography, just sloppily directed.  What would make the picture better, perhaps, would be a slide show with voice over, leaving out all movement whatsoever.   Actually, maybe it would just be better as a comic book.

"Looks like another case of kids taking Dungeons and Dragons too seriously!"