daredevil.
marvel is going full out on the cinematic experience for its superhero properties. after the success of x-men and in the midst of the runaway hit version of spider-man, the latest marvel comic to come to life on the silver screen is one of the lesser known crimefighters: daredevil. this may be a bit of risk, considering not as many people know the story about this darker character, but "the man without fear" makes for a capivating tale.
living in the same world as spider-man (on paper, these heroes manage to bump into each other's stories every once in a while), but in the seedier hell's kitchen (it ain't clinton, no matter how hard they try to gentrify it), daredevil watches over his area from the rooftops. blinded as a child, daredevil relies on his other four senses, which have been highly attuned to the point where he can not only carry on as though he could see but he can scale and descend buildings, hopping along surfaces and ledges with perfect balance. his vigilantism stems from the murder of his father by the crime syndicate he had to muscle for, operated by the wealthy gangster kingpin, whose thugs are being beaten up by daredevil in the name of justice.
daredevil is the alter-ego for matt murdock, a blind lawyer who's works small pro bono cases, much to the chagrin of his partner. matt falls for a girl he meets in a coffeeshop, who turns out to be a top fighter named elektra, whose father is targetted by kingpin as a possible threat to his hidden identity. kingpin calls for the services of the vicious bullseye, a scarred irish assassin who never misses his targets and ....well, the plot is a bit shakey, but you're not necessarily here for any huge narrative arcs with thematic importance.
ben affleck handles the role with a muted convinction (i'll leave it to ryan to comment on how affleck pulled off the trickery of playing a blind man), allowing him to dwell moodily when necessary and hold his own when it counted. jennifer garner, known as the kickass spy from alias, has a ball as elektra, although she isn't much of a spoiled brat but more of a chop-socky matrix fighting babe. michael clarke duncan has the refined menace of kingpin done pat (excellent casting) and the latest heartthrob colin farrell bites at the scenery as the snarly bullseye, letting his irish brogue go through his clenched teeth like venom. jon favreau and joe pantoliano provide solid support, and kevin smith, stan lee, frank miller plus some other behind the scenes creators and writers have a few cameos.
the movie has a brilliant melancholy mood, with little religious themes of good and evil littered throughout. the pacing is tight, allowing us insight on where daredevil came from but not stopping to explain everything. however, the music sucked raw eggs through a straw and the direction during the action sequences was unclear, which is sadly consistent with most blockbuster movies as of late. on the whole, though, this felt less like a barnstorming movie but more of a meditative exploration, much like another movie featuring a superhero without super special powers: batman. it won't save the world, but it won't rob you blind.