We open with a tragic accident. A young boy has been knocked down by a car after saving the life of an older gentleman, and in the process a dangerous chemical substance in a series of barrels has burst out and into the boy's eyes.
"I can't see!" screams the boy, repeating himself to his father. This is Matt Murdock. The man who goes on to become lawyer by day, but vigilante by night. This is the story of Daredevil, in the way it should have always been told.
Acting as the first of a series of four Netflix original series from Marvel, Daredevil here is gritty, violent and at times, hard to watch. Matt Murdock has such a love for his city that he hones in on his four remaining super-human and extraordinary senses to ensure that criminals he comes up against are taken down. The first time we see him in action, he's instantly feared, brutal and able to get the job done without too much effort.
Saving a group of females from being trafficked out of the country, he's not the happy-go-lucky superhero that we see in perhaps Spider-Man. Though he's there to ensure the ladies are sent back to their usual lives with little to no injuries, he's not afraid of allowing them to fear him. He isn't looking for praise and fame, simply to bring justice to those who need it.
Friend and business partner Foggy Nelson - played by Elden Henson - is instantly grating. His acting at first seems wooden and takes right away from the energetic opening, but improvements are made as the first hour churns on.
The fantastic Deborah Ann Woll is introduced in a huge scene of distress, knelt down at a bloody body with a knife in her hand. Here she's playing Karen Page, and her connection with Murdock and Nelson comes in immediately as the pair are called forward as her defence attorneys upon arrest. Unfortunately for her, the pair have never before had a case and if she were to hire them full-time, she'd become their first client. With no money and the duo with no experience, it seems they can help one another with proving innocence and gaining a reputation in the field of law.
Later jailed and spending her first night behind bars, Karen is attacked by a police officer and almost strangled to death, with the attacker likely planning on turning the scene into a suicide. Gaining escape through scratching the perpetrator's eyes, her defence are given a great tool to have her released without being charged, leading to questioning away from the authorities.
Learning more about Karen's past, we realise that though she may not know who is trying to kill her, she does know why. Working as a secretary she was sent an email that was actually meant for the eyes of her boss, tangling her in a world of organised crime and putting a huge target on her back. Now there's an entire crime syndicate that wants her erased, whether that be through her being sent to prison for life or snuffing her out completely. Though she's intent on ensuring nobody else dies because of her, Murdock invites her back to stay at his place, and so she goes, only to sneak out whilst her host is asleep, returning to the place where she was arrested to retrieve the copy of the files she kept - the whole reason she's being targetted.
Of course waiting for her there is an assassin sent to steal the files back and keep her quiet whilst he's at it. Luckily for Karen, Daredevil's senses meant that was able to track her down and keep an eye on her, ensuring she wasn't erased. This results in the series' second flawless fight scene, with combat choreography that's amongst the best in its genre.
Meanwhile, the show's 'big bad' is being kept underwraps for now. "We don't say his name," interrupts his associate and 'lap dog' when meeting with fellow criminals who almost name him. It's exactly how a short season superhero series should be handled. Of course there will be threats from other angles, but for now keeping their Ace close to their chest is the best move that could have been made.
We do end on a cliffhanger which I usually hate for a show such as this one because of the wait for its next episode to come around. Fortunately for Netflix customers, all 13 episodes of the first season are available to stream immediately.
Charlie Cox is brilliant in the title role. Getting things right as an actor would be tough at the best of times, but playing the role of a blind man turned lawyer turned vigilante surely has to be a challenge like no other. His delivery is impressive and pushed further by the intelligent cinematography and production. When Murdock uses one of his super-human senses, we're right there with him, everything else fades away. He's listening to Karen's heartbeat and speech whilst nothing else matters? So are we. He's waiting to hear the loading of a gun? We draw everything back with him and listen out for that click, too.
And so at the end of episode one, Daredevil is looking like a mighty success. The drab Ben Affleck movie has been left far behind and we're finally getting what every comic book fan has wanted for some time. Congratulations to Marvel, on bringing something new to the arena, when it looked like DC were dominating television with Arrow and The Flash.
Daredevil is available now on Netflix in all territories where the streaming service is available.