There was a time when Ben Affleck's name above the titles didn't inspire fear and loathing. As the titular comicbook crusader in Daredevil he delivered "a solid, enjoyable actioner" that bagged over $100m at the worldwide box office. Inevitably critics weren't so enthused by its puttering story, but with this DVD, writer/director Mark Steven Johnson has made a sincere attempt to put things right with a cut of the movie that stays faithful to his original script.
Better The Devil You Know?
It runs at almost 30 minutes longer than the theatrical cut, but this version of the film also sees some significant cuts, eg Murdock's (Affleck) Catholic confessionals and his MTVish love scene with Elektra (Jennifer Garner). All this makes more room for a subplot involving rapper Coolio who wound up on the cutting room floor the first time around. He plays a murder suspect represented by Murdock and contributes to a more rounded portrayal of the lead character as a man willing to stand up for "the little guy". In addition, this strand feeds into the central plot to plug many of the gaps that exist in the theatrical cut. Also, the courtroom scenes allow more fun with the buddy dynamic between Murdock and his right-hand man Foggy (Jon Favreau). Overall, this much darker version of the film is definitely a more satisfying one. However, there are some elements that are less effective, like a dawdling flashback to explain Daredevil's origin story.
On the whole, if you were disappointed with the 2003 cut, this DVD may change your mind. Conversely, if you loved the kiss-kiss bang-bang vibe of the theatrical version, this might prove a little too sluggish and melodramatic.
A Deal With The Devil
"I love the movie, but it is a flawed movie," says Johnson in a pleasingly frank look at The Making Of Daredevil Director's Cut. It finds him in the editing room trying to piece together his original vision while producer Gary Foster makes no bones about his popcorn approach, admitting, "I was advocating speed over well-shot, well-acted, well-directed, well-performed scenes." In fact he shows a startling lack of sympathy for Johnson's creative plight and even patronises moviegoers, by adding, "I don't think that in the commercial marketplace the intellectual content is necessarily as important as the quick, exciting experience." We're sure there are many comicbook fans out there who would disagree.
Marvel mogul Avi Arad is a little more understanding of Johnson's intentions in a very incisive feature commentary. The put-upon director explains how "pressure and politics" diluted the story he wanted to tell, but at the same time, humbly accepts that, as a new director, "I feel the responsibility for them to do well and make money, but that is at odds with me as a writer." Ever the diplomat, Arad is reluctant to accept that there was anything wrong with the first film, but points out where he feels that scenes were made better with more deliberate pacing. For instance, he pinpoints an extended sequence involving a young Murdock and his father just after the accident that robs the boy his of sight. "This is a moment that needed to breathe," he says. "That's the beginning of his realisation that there is a silver cloud."
While it may appear a very modest package of extras, the care and thought that has gone into producing this DVD is very much in evidence. Rarely do we get such a sharp insight into the convoluted process of moviemaking and, for that reason, Daredevil's Director Cut is unquestionably a cut above the average.
EXTRA FEATURES
The Daredevil Director's Cut DVD is out to buy on Monday 2nd May 2005.
