At long last, a 20-year-old Film is redeemed. Well, mostly.
2003's Daredevil was not received well, failing in comparison to the then-recent Spider-Man Film. Even today, he has to Guest-Star in the latest Spider-Man Film- the same one that brought back Tobey Maguire to boot.
In 2004, the Writer-Director - Mark Steven Johnson- was allowed to put his Director's Cut out on DVD. I heard that it vastly improved the Film.
In 2023, I finally got around to watching it. Was it a real improvement?
Let's find out...
He fights crime to avenge the honor of his father, who was killed for not throwing a fight.
When the chemicals blinded him, they gave him heightened senses, including the ability to 'see' the world via a sonic radar.
Should You Bother?
The main thing cut from the Theatrical Version- supposedly at the last minute- is a Subplot involving a man- Coolio! - accused of murder.
He was found passed out at the Scene but says that he is innocent.
Matt and Foggy investigate the Scene of the crime- which isn't watched by the Cops?- and he finds a written clue that will come in handy later.
Mixed in with the main Plot, a Cop testifies to Coolio's guilt and he's...also telling the truth?
Yes, Matt's lie detector- he hears your heartbeat- says that both are telling the truth.
How can that be?
In a curious change, a key Scene plays out VERY differently in this Cut.
In the Theatrical Cut, Matt goes to leave Elektra to stop a mugging, with one happening a few Scenes back. She gets him to stay, and they spend the night together.
In the Director's Cut, he goes to leave Elektra to stop a mugging...and actually does. He has to apologize for it later, which was obviously cut from the Theatrical Version.
We get 2 Court Room Scenes- including a brief comedy reprieve between the death of Mr. Nachios and the Funeral- and Matt finally confronts the Cop.
As it turns out, he has a pacemaker, which fooled Matt's senses.
They get Coolio off at the end and he also gives the Police the lead they need to get Fisk.
You see, Fisk's Assistant was the actual culprit of said Murder and they flipped him.
So, in summary, they give you THE ENTIRE STORY and it all makes sense. Who'd have guessed?
Verdict: Yes.
It fills in the gaps of the Story nicely, without feeling too slow with the new content.
Apparently, this Cut is the most common one people see around. So, in a way, this Cut seems to have won out in the end.
If you, like me, only remember the Theatrical Cut- I actually saw it in Theaters-, check this out!
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