Daredevil (2003)

A man blinded by toxic waste which also enhanced his remaining senses fights crime as an acrobatic martial arts superhero.

Director:

Mark Steven Johnson

Writer:

Mark Steven Johnson (screenplay)

Stars:

Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Colin Farrell

5 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ben Affleck	...	Matt Murdock / Daredevil
Jennifer Garner	...	Elektra Natchios
Colin Farrell	...	Bullseye
Michael Clarke Duncan	...	Wilson Fisk / The Kingpin
Jon Favreau	...	Franklin 'Foggy' Nelson
Scott Terra	...	Young Matt
Ellen Pompeo	...	Karen Page
Joe Pantoliano	...	Ben Urich
Leland Orser	...	Wesley Owen Welch
Lennie Loftin	...	Nick Manolis
Erick Avari	...	Nikolas Natchios
Derrick O'Connor	...	Father Everett
Paul Ben-Victor	...	Jose Quesada
David Keith	...	Jack Murdock
Frankie J. Allison	...	Abusive Father (as Frankie Jay Allison)

Storyline

Fate deals young orphan Matt Murdock a strange hand when he is doused with hazardous waste. The accident leaves Matt blind but also gives him a heightened "radar sense" that allows him to "see" far better than any man. Years later Murdock has grown into a man and becomes a respected criminal attorney. But after he's done his "day job" Matt takes on a secret identity as "The Man Without Fear," Daredevil, the masked avenger that patrols the neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen and New York City to combat the injustice that he cannot tackle in the courtroom.

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Plot Keywords:

marvel comics | daredevil the marvel comics character | matt murdock character | elektra natchios character | wilson fisk a.k.a. kingpin character | 

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Taglines:

He is the man without fear

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Genres:

Action | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for action/violence and some sensuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Clarke Duncan is the third actor with a three-part name to play Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. the Kingpin. John Rhys-Davies portrayed the character in The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989), and Roscoe Lee Browne did Kingpin's voice in the Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994) cartoon from Fox.

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Goofs

Wires lifting up Elektra during the rooftop battle.

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Quotes

Karen Page: [to Murdock] This just came by messenger. It's your invitation to the Black and White Ball at the Grand, plus one.
[smiles expectantly]
Franklin 'Foggy' Nelson: Plus one? All right! Guess I gotta rent a tux!

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits are seen in a sequence of dark skyscrapers. There are lit windows in the skyscrapers, which turn into Braille letters which then become English letters spelling out the main cast - later on, the supporting cast and production crew are directly formed in English from the window.

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Alternate Versions

German theatrical version was edited for violence (ca. 1 min.) to secure a more commercial "Not under 12" rating. Shortened were the scenes where Bullseye kills the man in the pub, the lady on the plane and Elektras father. Also shortened was the stabbing of Elektra. The cut version was released on VHS and DVD (single-disc version), the uncut version was released only on DVD (two-disc special edition and re-release of the single-disc version).

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Connections

Featured in Nostalgia Critic: Elektra (2020)

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Soundtracks

Right Now
Written by Marcos Curiel (as Marcos), William Hughes, Vito Tisdale, Ron Clutch (as Ron Wilson),
Melvin Adams, Brian Scott
Programming by Timothy J. Trudeau
Performed by Nappy Roots featuring Marcos Curiel of P.O.D.
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Comic books done right

Gritty, ambiguous, painted in strong inks ant sharp contrasting colors. Gone is the classic spandex costume for a vaguely BDSM leather outfit. Daredevil takes more of a page from Frank Miller's interpretation of the man without fear. And the result is perhaps the best superhero adaptation to date. While that might sound vaguely like an oxymoron, especially in a sub-genre where "good" is a proxy for "budget for special effects", the reason for it should actually be pretty obvious. People like Miller have heavily contributed in the 80s and 9os to renew a genre that had been stagnant since the sixties. And they did that by introducing more realism and more cinematic elements in the action.

Alan Moore's The Watchmen and Miller's Dark Knight are prime examples of this renewal. Unfortunately, at the same time the introduction of computer- generated effect has allowed one too many directors to recreate their favorite Silver Age character as they remembered it, jumping over 20 or so years of comic book evolution. And too often the result is just another expensive cartoon. Daredevil, by no means a good movie, views however like a step in the right direction.

Of course to enjoy all this one has to stomach the Affleck's "Matt Murdock has something to prove" woody interpretation, and Jennifer Garner's version of Elektra (who looks everything but Greek) in all her protruding silicon special effects. Kudos however to Colin Farrell for bringing to life Bullseye, definitely one of the best villains in the genre.

But the script ls fresh and funny, and the gallery of secondary roles and cameos is really impressive. Stan "the man" Lee is briefly seen during Matt Murdock's childhood, Sopranos' Robert Iler, Wayne Knight through a cloud of smoke, and more.

Now, if only we could get comic scripts by Moore, Garth Ennis and Warren Ellis produced the way they meant to be...

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA Switzerland

Language:

English Greek Italian

Release Date:

14 February 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Daredevil: A Daring New Vision

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$78,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$40,310,419, 16 February 2003

Gross USA:

$102,543,518

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$179,179,718

Company Credits

Production Co:

Marvel Enterprises, New Regency Productions, Horseshoe Bay Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min 133 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1