Daredevil: The Man Without Fear

Very solid edit. Watched this a few years ago, I still remember the excellent intro credits and music. Pretty much all of the weak parts of this film were taken out, although I have a certain nostalgia for Daredevil so I was disappointed to not see the final fight between Daredevil & Bullseye included. I understand its exclusion though as it was unnecessary.

I loved this edit. It's amazing how much better the movie is once you strip away most of the stupidity. Although, I would make these changes:

1: Have Daredevil kill the Kingpin, as the dialogue is stupid and he does not appear in the rest of the film.

2: Cut out Bullseye at the airport,so he get's a stronger character introduction in the bar scene.

3: Trim the disastrous day in court scene, as I thought it went on for too long.

Apart from that, excellent edit!

UA's Man without Fear is a minor miracle for DD fans. This film has been transformed into superhero-noir.
Noir/Crime elements are the highlight: main plot is now Matt fulfilling his self-proclaimed purpose in life as lawyer and vigilante to help an innocent man framed for murder, using his powers to decipher clues (that PI investigation scene was awesome) as through the course of the film he slowly amasses enough info to discover the Kingpin's identity. Subplot is his doomed love with Elektra (fitting too that Bullseye gets away).

Though many have mentioned a disjointed feel re development of the Elektra love story, I felt it right that his jobs (as lawyer and DD) took center stage, and had no problem having the love subplot run in the background. After the introduction of Elektra in the coffeeshop scene, she is alluded to only in dialogue before coming to the fore after Matt's talk w Foggy and his decision to seriously explore matters w her, after which we jump to Matt introducing Elektra to his favorite rooftop spot, the same one shown at the beginning of the film. Here both let each other into their respective lives, sharing a kiss before Matt chooses work once again and leaves Elektra alone as he attends to his DD duties.

One minor quibble re the opening credits: while brilliant to portray Stick and the training montage, I don't think the light brown color works with the overall aesthetic of the film as a whole. Regarding all the other aspects - music, edits, narrative choices - all are spot on. This is a film of its time, and is dated, and UA embraces those aspects, highlighting rather than downplaying them. The fight scenes are solid and bloody, and while some performances w clunky dialogue and delivery still exist (retained for their narrative functions), the film as a whole works, and works well.

Overall this is much more a character study on Matt Murdock, and, though by no means perfect (due to what UA had to work with), is a solid film that respects the character and portrays a gritty, grounded Daredevil that does justice to the source material.

Fantastic work UA!

I'm only knocking the A/V due to the unavailability of an HD version, but for a DVD release, it's a 10.

I'm not going to apologize, but Daredevil was always a guilty pleasure movie for me. It was one of the first of the golden age of comic book films that actually showed the main character make each day a physical struggle. You can see a lot of pieces that were used in better films like The Dark Knight with a protagonist that gets hurt but keeps pushing forward. That said, it's a guilty pleasure for a reason. The script is weak and the direction is a mess.

Thankfully, Uncanny Antman has delivered with an exceptional edit that rearranges the narrative in surprisingly effective ways. If you hate Daredevil, this may not turn the tide, but it's certainly far more interesting (especially if you have yet to see the Director's Cut).

Starting right from the beginning, losing the narration lets the images speak for themselves and expects a bit more from the audience. The story is there, but it doesn't spoon-feed what the characters are thinking, which is nice. Also, keeping the music period to the 80s in the origin story is key. The Theatrical Cut always felt messy because of the constant barrage of current music. This cut widens it, not worried about selling a soundtrack CD.

The opening title sequence is the biggest nail in the coffin of the theatrical version. Uncanny Antman's new sequence is amazing and does so much with such a little amount of time that brings the viewer into the present, while not short-changing Matt's training and his mission over a long period of time. Amazingly well-crafted and utterly professional that is miles above the insipid original titles.

Cutting down Quesada substantially is also a stroke of genius. We only see him in the biker bar and Daredevil beats him and his goons down without saying a word. No stupid lines about justice or giving the devil his due. Just a hard-hitting beatdown. Also, Uncanny Antman THANKFULLY removes the shot of Daredevil stopping mid-fight to "watch" bullets wizzing by through one of the worst uses of the CGI for super-hearing. Daredevil doesn't kill anybody this time around, but they're surely heading to the hospital.

The only weak link in the chain is in Elektra. Unfortunately, by removing the playground fight completely, it feels like there is a piece of the story missing. It truly sticks out that we don't see Matt use his charms at all on Elektra. We see her act coldly to Matt in the coffee shop. Then the next time we see her, she's on the rooftop in a romantic scene with Matt. It's an A to C moment that is a bit jarring. We also never see that she actually is a bit of a fighter. I would love to have seen just a tiny bit of the beginning of the playground fight, that ends the scene at Matt saying, "You sure you don't want to tell me your name?" and before all the crazy flipping around and terrible score kicks in. It's too bad that Elektra takes off her jacket because it creates a continuity error to use the bookend of the Director's Cut sequence when Elektra's bodyguards show up, which would have helped wrap the scene.

Despite my misgivings about Elektra's story, which is truly hindered by the original film that Uncanny Antman worked from, everybody else's story and performance is boosted by removing extraneous comedy and melodrama. It's a wonderful domino effect that leads into major moments of the ending being removed entirely. At first, it felt like it may have removed too much, but watching it a second time and unburdening myself from the original film's structure, I realized that the indeed the church fight and Ben Urich learning the truth about Daredevil are truly unneeded. Urich still has an arc because he's the tie to the truth in the Lisa Tazio case and Bullseye is just an assassin with no personal vendetta to Daredevil. He killed Elektra, job done.

Side bar: I loved the "Psycho Killer" bar darts sequence. Very creepy use of music and tone. Also, the new Kingpin introduction with a moody orchestral is definitely the way to go. N.E.R.D. is a welcome casualty of this cut.

The fight scenes are much shorter, but they have more brutality in its ferociousness. It just plays better without all the Crouch Tiger style flying about. Kudos on these cuts. There are many and they all work for the better, especially in the final fight with The Kingpin. There were numerous times in this version that I was wincing. Even what looked stupid in the original cut (Kingpin tossing Daredevil across the room into a wall) is expertly sped up and just on the right side of believable. Also, no "use the Force" moment with Daredevil remembering his water trick to see The Kingpin. Truly amazing.

Honestly, there's so much that's great here and the restructuring of scenes was surprising in a way that left me wondering why it wasn't done that way in theatrical cut! By giving Matt some time to grieve, it gives more weight to losing Elektra and ties in better to Uncanny Antman's subdued and hopeful ending. No "here's where all the characters are" type of ending montage, just a look of actual happiness for the first time on Matt's face. Cut to credits.

Finally, that swinging bit to kick Bullseye off the motorcycle. Genius.

Watch this version. You won't be disappointed. It's definitely my go-to in the future.

With this being my second exposure to the awesome works of Uncanny Antman, following on from T3 the Coming Storm, this edit is as slick as they come.

The origin/prologue sequence is beautifully done, as are the opening credits. The restructuring of the narrative is to dramatic effect and feels as though it should have always been this way. There are perhaps a few transitional scenes missing but this can't be helped and thankfully it doesn't leave the film feeling choppy. I love how the relationship between Matt and Foggy plays out. The directors cut did this well also but everything was too padded out. Action sequences are wonderfully edited to appear more realistic and thank goodness the worst of the CGI is gone.

Some reviewers have commentated that the removal of Daredevil's fight with Bull's Eye leaves the ending feeling a little hollow. I didn't have this problem as it puts all the focus on Matt's loss and him tracking down the Kingpin.

My only complaints and bear in mine these are minor. The film has a slightly depressing vibe. Possibly as a result of one too many humorous moments removed and some soundtrack choices. The Terrance Stamp cameos seem unnecessary and I'm not at all keen on the post end credits sequence. The subtle ending with Matt pondering over the charm was a nicer way to end things.

Overall though this is a fantastic fan edit and now replaces the Director's Cut as my go to version.