Daredevil (Director's Cut) - Review

Daredevil is a comic book film directed by Mark Steven Johnson about a lawyer named Matt Murdock, who was chemically blinded as a kid and developed superhuman senses. It was released in 2003 to mixed reception, and rightly so. I felt the original cut had a very weak narrative, pace, and tone. I had heard that the DX version of this film is a favorite among comic book movie fans, I never thought much about getting my hands on it until it was right in front of me. I thought “why not?”, and surprise came surely afterward.

First off, the film is about thirty minutes longer than the original cut. This is a welcome change as the theatrical version felt like scenes were missing. According to Mark Steven Johnson this injustice was done by his producer, much to Johnson’s disapproval. Honestly the producer must have been a complete moron and could be the sole blame to why this film wasn’t as well-received as it could have been. This version should have been theatrically released.

This version has an entire subplot that the theatrical version left out, involving a homicide case revealed to be tied with the Kingpin, a defendant named Coolio, differentiated and extended scenes,  giving the film the R rating it should have had to begin with, which helps it steer away from clichés of the past. Anyone who has seen the film at all will probably remember the scene where Matt and Elektra share their first kiss after his ultra-senses are able to pick up the details of her face in all its extravagance during a downpour. That scene is among many to be altered or extended in some way.

Honestly, it almost feels like an entirely different film. I felt like I was watching what Daredevil should have been right from the start. It’s darker, it’s edgier, it’s more mature, and it’s far more narratively structured. Unfortunately though, while the Director’s Cut does alter Daredevil and Elektra’s intimacy scene (being that it’s removed completely, with Murdock actually leaving when he said he would), it does not remove my least favorite scene in the movie. I’m referring to Matt and Elektra’s little scuffle in the park. This scene irritates me, since Matt Murdock seems to be trying to keep his alter-ego a secret and yet has no problem drawing so much attention to himself just to get a girl’s number. Still, this time Daredevil’s fight against the Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan) parallels him in and out of costume, as it should be. The guy is an attorney, after all.

Ben Urich (Joe Pantoliano) gets more screentime and his investigation is handled with greater detail, including his interactions with Murdock out of costume, and Foggy Nelson (Jon Favreau) becomes a more solidified character as he handles this new case in the re-included subplot and steps out from his cell as just being comic relief. The film is just so much grittier and fitting now, and it even leaves room for a sequel (that we’ll never have) with scenes showing Bullseye (Colin Farrell) in the hospital.

I honestly think that if this version of the film was released in theaters as Johnson originally planned, that it would have been a big hit, but poor decisions make for poor reception. This version should be called “Daredevil – The Complete Film”. 8 out of 10.