Daredevil (film)

**Daredevil** is a 2009 superhero film set in the Marvel Media Franchise, the twelfth film in the universe. The film stars Joe Manganiello, Rose Byrne, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Ernie Hudson, Willem Dafoe, and Frank Grillo and was released worldwide on September 25, 2009. The film ran 130 minutes and grossed $524 million on a $90 million budget.

## Plot

At age 11, Matt Murdock was blinded as a child due to being knocked down by a truck filled with acid. His father was killed in the boxing ring when Matt was 16 and he was forced to move to Hell's Kitchen for the next two years to live with his aunt. Now, Matt co-runs the law firm Nelson & Murdock, alongside best friend Foggy Nelson. Doctor Karen Page is being put on trial for supposedly killing a co-worker, which she claims she did not do. Foggy believes her to be lying, though Matt takes the case. Crime in Hell's Kitchen is high, especially after the events of *The Avengers*. Blind artist, Alicia Masters, has attempted to sue the Avengers themselves for the event, due to two of the casualties being her friends, Ben Grimm and Reed Richards, also two members of the Fantastic Four. However, her case has been dismissed several times due to the Avengers also saving billions of lives.

Karen is asked to testify, where she attempts to tell them she walked into her co-worker's house to ask about her patient files which he took home, when she found him, dead. His wife refuses to believe this and tries to sway the jury her side. Matt realizes the crime is getting worse. He reveals to Foggy and Karen that when he lost his sight, his other senses hightened (smell, taste, hearing, and touch). Matt decides to use these senses to fight the crime in his city. Foggy tries to dissuade him, though Matt goes out anyone. However, he is immediately hurt by Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, a crime boss in the city. The Daily Bugle, a New York newspaper, reports the new hero, calling him Daredevil. Matt befriends the journalist writing the story, Ben Urich.

As Daredevil gains more recognition, Kingpin realizes he has found true competition. He orders a hit on the hero, though the assassin fails to kill him, he learns his identity as Matt Murdock. Kingpin prepares to kill Matt while he is at the courthouse. While in the building defending Karen, Kingpin storms the room and nearly kills Matt. However, Fisk is arrested, and bailed out almost immediately. Ben connects the dots and realizes Matt is Daredevil. Matt manages to convince Ben not to reveal his identity to J. Jonah Jameson, the chief editor of the Daily Bugle. Foggy, still angry over Matt taking Karen's case, takes Alicia's case and tries to convince the jury that the Avengers are the true villains of Hell's Kitchen.

Daredevil goes out once more and attacks Kingpin. After a long fight, Kingpin is almost killed but agrees to stop his crime wave, with a warning that if he attempts another attack, he will suffer a much worse fate. Matt wins the case, with a new piece of evidence surfacing that shows Karen's friend's wife was the actual killer. Foggy apologizes to Matt for thinking Karen was guilty and learns that Alicia has dropped the charges, realizing the Fantastic Four could've made the same mistake. Everything seems happy until Ben is killed at his home by Kingpin's assassins. Matt faces Kingpin and the two have a final fight. Daredevil almost kills the crime boss until he gets a confession to Ben's murder and turns him into the police. Matt, Karen, and Foggy celebrate their victory as Ben is honored at the Daily Bugle.

In a mid-credits scene, a father mourns the loss of his wife and children at a shooting at a park. He overhears the cops revealing the shooting was in retaliation for the arrest of Kingpin. The man picks up a gun and cocks it. In a post-credits scene, Matt meets with an unseen man in the rain. The man gives Matt a package which he claims will tell him the true story of his father.

## Cast

* Joe Manganiello​ as Matt Murdock/Daredevil
* Rose Byrne as Karen Page
* Ewan McGregor as Foggy Nelson
* Rosario Dawson as Alicia Masters
* Ernie Hudson as Ben Urich
* Willem Dafoe as J. Jonah Jameson
* Frank Grillo as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin

## Production

*Daredevil* was put into development in early 2007. Guy Ritchie signed on to direct the film in June of that year, while Joe Manganiello was attached to the role by December. Simon Kinberg had written the script, previously having written *Fantastic Four*, which had flopped, which Ritchie was worried about. By February 2008, Rosario Dawson was asked by Kinberg to appear in the film, due to her role being praised in *Fantastic Four*. Dawson signed on in March. Rose Byrne and Ewan McGregor were cast in May as Karen Page and Foggy Nelson, respectively. Frank Grillo was cast in June as the villain, Wilson Fisk/Kingpin. Willem Dafoe and Ernie Hudson rounded out the cast in August as J. Jonah Jameson and Ben Urich, respectively. Filming begun in November 2008 and concluded in Janaury 2009. The film was released on September 25, 2009.

## Reception

### **Box office**

*Daredevil* had grossed $209 million in North America and $315 million in other areas for a total of $524 million worldwide.

### **Critical reception**

The film received generally positive reviews. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reports that 70% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 224 reviews, with a rating average of 6.2 out of 10, with the consensus being that "Guy Ritchie's directorial style might not be quite the best fit for an update on the blind hero, but *Daredevil* benefits from the elementary appeal of a strong performance by " Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 1–100 reviews from film critics, has a rating score of 57 based on 34 reviews.