Ask any fan of comic book film lore about Twentieth Century Fox’s 2003 film Daredevil and you’re bound to receive at least a brief interjection about how much superior the Director’s Cut is to the original theatrical release. Marred by pressure to dull the movie’s content down to a PG-13 level, the originally R-intended footage doesn’t make nearly as much sense in its castrated form. Here, in the Director’s Cut release on Blu-ray, we’re blessed with a considerably darker and much more cohesive and solemn whole that feels a little like the evil cousin of the more family-friendly Spider-Man (Doc Ock’s wicked mechanical mass-murdering lab scene notwithstanding).
For many films, the Director’s Cut is merely an excuse to milk a little more cash out of the fans; it’s generally just some bonus footage left untouched that might have otherwise overextended the run time or missed the mark on the ratings target. The story is different with Daredevil: Director’s Cut. Here, 15 minutes of footage from the theatrical release are actually missing, and 45 additional minutes are added in their place, including an entirely different subplot about a murder case involving a convict played by Coolio. The entire film, including the score, is a separate cut—so it’s largely a different film. This is apparently the way the movie was originally cut and intended to be released, but the surgery performed by the studio prior to release left us with the dull and routine Daredevil we all remember from the theater. The Director’s Cut, by contrast, is more violent, more introspective, and considerably heavier on character development. The net result is that it’s better, albeit not so much so as to rescue the film from relative mediocrity.
Devil in Disguise
Matt Murdoch (Ben Affleck) is the son of a professional boxer (apprehensively referred to as “The Devil”). Thanks to his father’s shady involvement with some underhanded gangs, Matt ends up in a chemical spill and loses his sight. As a result, however, his other senses plastically compensate for the accident, granting him superhuman hearing and a unique ability to “see” sound. Following his father’s brutal murder in a back alley following a high-profile fight, Matt swears to avenge him. And thus the “Daredevil” is born—an action hero who is said to be fearless, seeking to make as much a difference as one man possibly can.
By day, Matt is a blind lawyer from Hell’s Kitchen, working with bureaucracy to imprison those who commit heinous crimes (and partnered with “Foggy” Nelson, played by Jon Favreau). But at night, he hunts those who lie in court and are falsely acquitted of their transgressions (something he’s able to discern with uncanny accuracy by listening in on their heartbeats). But Daredevil isn’t your average do-gooder either; he harbors the pain of his childhood loss, and his battles with the scum of the city provide cathartic release for his emotions. As such, he often ruthlessly murders them even after they’re defeated. One night, when a child witnesses from close range his encounter with a criminal he is pounding, he realizes that as the good guy, he may be taking things too far. This inner struggle is something that we don’t see explored nearly enough in the theatrical release, but that the director’s cut does a better job of emphasizing.
Something we definitely do see enough of (and probably too much) is the girl he meets in the coffee shop. After putting the moves on her (and leveraging his handicap as a clever ice-breaker), we are blessed with one of the cheesiest romantic introductory sequences in any of the superhero movies I’ve ever seen. Here, as he trails the woman (rather creepily I might add) out from the restaurant to ask her name (“I didn’t get your name.” “I didn’t give it,” she replies), the two end up in a park, where they begin to spar in a Matrix-style fight sequence that is more out of place than a spiteful teenager browsing through Sarah Palin’s Hotmail inbox. That having been said, I suppose to some degree I can understand her unwillingness to divulge her name: it’s Elektra Natchios (hungry anyone?) and she’s played by Jennifer Garner.
Soon enough we’re introduced to a coldhearted contract killer known as “Bullseye” (Colin Farrell) who can throw objects with prodigious accuracy (we witness him playing darts, after which he kills a man with a series of straightened paperclips—thus beginning a series of scenes throughout the film where Bullseye finds creative things to throw at people to kill them). Farrell tries hard to bring out the narcissistic qualities of his character; he speaks each line with a hint of instability and nervous angst, and it’s clear that he will off anyone if it serves to make his life easier or more comfortable, however temporarily. Perhaps this is accentuated most in the scene on the plane where he lodges a peanut down a talkative old woman’s throat… not exactly the most tasteful dose of comedy in the film if I must say so.
Bullseye works for Wilson Fisk (Michael Clarke Duncan), the Kingpin of the crime syndicate that killed Matt’s father. Further complications eventually lead to the endangerment of Elektra Natchios (did you chuckle again?), and Daredevil is thus inevitably involved in both her protection and the hunt for his father’s killer.
Not-so-super-hero
While the Director’s Cut is definitely deeper and more convincing than the original version, it still leaves a lot to be desired as a superhero movie. The Spider-Man movies (perhaps with the exception of the last one) and Batman are arguably the best of their variety, thanks in part to their spectacular balance. But in their wake, Daredevil seems a lot less vibrant and a little bit underwhelming. It follows the standard formula for a superhero film (childhood struggle, accident, vengeance/restitution), but it does very little beyond that apart from injecting a bit of R-rated gravity.
In spite of the ubiquity of over-the-top fight scenes in these movies, Daredevil takes it too far, with scores of thoroughly impossible maneuvers (such as Daredevil’s ability to dodge a mass of incoming broken glass thrown at him flawlessly) and far-too-obvious wire-assisted stunt work (the word to describe it would be unnatural). Having said that, there are some creative sequences, such as one that takes place along the top of an enormous pipe organ.
Much of the pedestrian haze that envelops the film could be blamed on its choice of actors. Affleck is unfortunately only marginally convincing in the role of a blind man, and while I’m generally accepting of his work, this is not one of his stronger performances. Farrell as Bullseye also elicits the wrong kind of emotive response—rather than fear him, we’re more tempted to roll our eyes in disgust. He is cold and brutal to be certain, but scenes like the aforementioned one with him on the plane (it hardly qualifies as comic relief) are just too much for a film that tries to be so serious most of the time. Jennifer Garner is a little easier on the eyes (I’m referring to her performance here), but that sparring scene in the park is not a good introduction for her.
In totality, Daredevil: Director’s Cut is at least better than the previous offering. It isn’t just longer; it’s more believable and deeper, and it feels less disjointed. In many ways, it’s an entirely different experience altogether from the theatrical cut. But while it’s occasionally thrilling and frequently aesthetically riveting (on Blu-ray), it just can’t hang with the big boys of superhero film.
Extras
Fans of the extras included on the 2003 Daredevil DVD release will be pleased to hear that, unlike the original release of the Director’s Cut, those extras are still included on this version. As far as I’m concerned, that makes this the definitive home video version of the film. So if you’re looking to replace your original version or Director’s Cut DVD with a Blu-ray copy, don’t hesitate to pick this up.
Although most of these are the same as before, let’s briefly traverse the special features included on the disc:
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Commentary Track with director/screenwriter Mark Steven Johnson and producer Avi Arad – From start to finish, this is a pretty entertaining track. Among the items discussed are the reasoning behind the cutting of each scene (and therefore the differences between this version and the one released in theaters) and the usual reminiscing about particular aspects of the production.
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Enhanced Viewing Mode – Visual effects supervisor John Kilkenny hosts a series of clips explaining how many of the scenes in the film were developed.
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Fact and Fiction – This is a Pop-Up Video-like track featuring some white text subtitles—overlaid during many scenes—which provides reference material relating to the comic series and some interesting notes and fun facts from behind the scenes.
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Beyond Hell’s Kitchen: Making Daredevil (58:51) – This hour-long feature is an in-depth trek through the production of the movie, including the filming of various stunts and fight scenes, the design of the Daredevil costume, the history of the film, and loads of interviews and comments from many of the film’s cast members.
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Jennifer Garner Screen Tests (2:31)
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Featured Villain: Kingpin (2:21) – Michael Clarke Duncan spends a couple of minutes discussing his character in the film. He’s still intimidating even in person.
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Daredevil: HBO First Look Special (24:50) – This is a pre-release featurette hosted by Jennifer Garner. It’s patently inferior to the much more in-depth and down-to-earth Beyond Hell’s Kitchen feature above, but fans will appreciate its inclusion for collectors’ appeal.
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Moving Through Space: A Day in the Life of Tom Sullivan (8:28) – An interview with the sight-impaired consultant who worked with the crew on the film.
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Giving the Devil His Due (15:26) – Mark Steven Johnson provides further distinction between the two versions of the film, citing examples and exploring some reasoning behind the production. Producers Avi Arad and Gary Foster also offer their insight.
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Multi-Angle Dailies – An assortment of six different fighting scenes as originally filmed from various angles, raw and unedited.
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Trailers – A teaser and two trailers for the film.
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Music Videos
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Still Galleries
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The Comic Book – A series of three featurettes, headlined by the hour-long Men Without Fear documentary that examines the creation of the original Daredevil comic. For serious fans, the price of the Blu-ray may be justified just by this feature alone. The other two extras included here are Shadow World Tour, which compares and contrasts Daredevil’s superhuman traits with those in the comic, and finally, Modeling Sheets, which is a bunch of artist’s sketches of the characters along with some additional information about each.
