Daredevil
Feb 25, 2003 -
© James C. Hess
shortage: The Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan), and his right hand thug, Bullseye (Colin Farrell), just to name two. Of course he also 'sees' other things, including Elektra Natchios (Jennifer Garner), to whom he is, albeit predictably, strongly attracted. But why not? She wants revenge for the death of her father, and he wants revenge for the loss of an otherwise normal life. Which brings me, again, to the element of maturity in this movie: At one point, as example, he asks her to stand in the rain so his ears, very sensitive, can create an image in his mind's eye of her, based on the sound of the raindrops hitting her. Wow. A word or two, now, about the secondary characters in "Daredevil". There is Franklin Nelson (Jon Favreau), Murdock's law partner, who represents the element of maturity throughout. Unlike other second string characters, who often drawn as stereotypes, there is a certain appeal to Nelson, which allows him to transcend this particular prejudice. And there is, also, Ben Urich (Joe Pantoliano), who works for "The New York Post", hardly a sophisticated publication, but no matter. He stands as a symbol of what journalists and journalism could be, if only they took themselves and the task at hand seriously. Speaking 'seriously', I must make a remark or two now about the stunts and antics of Daredevil: Diving off tall buildings, swooping through the air with the grace of a cannonball artist, bouncing and landing ever so. I know that such things are nearly impossible, yet, here, they are rather credible because a deliberate effort has been made to make them seem fantastic without being too fantastic. Finally, a mention to the subtext and secondary story line of "Daredevil": The matter of faith. The suspension of disbelief in order to make way for the possible within the impossible. I applaud the creators of "Daredevil" for the clever way in which they constructed and executed this: Through organized religion, mostly the Catholic faith. They offer this up and then gently, not so heavily, suggest that belief in a higher being of existence is why we are the way we are, and why it is we do what we do. Which, in a nutshell, comes down to one thing: A matter of perception.
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