Matt actually got to make a few solid points whereas in the comic book story, Daredevil came off as a bit of a chump. This exchange of ideas and philosophies about "half measures" and whether or redemption was an actual possibility. Fortunately, there were enough tweaks made to Ennis' story that it all came off a bit more even. One chance to stop Punisher from killing a man.
With "New York's Finest," we got a take on the famous Garth Ennis-penned Punisher story "The Choice." Daredevil chained up. Because - yes! - this was a very important episode outside of the tremendous action at the end. Having reached the ground level and developed a smidgen of sympathy for the man he'd been calling "Red." But no. Right when it felt like Punisher might even make the save from off-screen.
By himself! Right when it seemed like he'd pushed himself too far and was about to get his neck broken by a hulking biker gang member. I think my favorite part of the sequence came right at the end when Daredevil - well - won. All while trying to also apprehend Punisher, who he'd dumped into the elevator. Him using the chain as a weapon, occasionally using it to knock out lights in order to give himself the advantage. And yes, there were some little computer assists here and there to add to the tracking-shot aspect of the sequence, but none of that worked to distract or detract from the sheer awesomeness. Yes, even though I was aware that it was constructed in a way to sort of call back to the famous "Cut Man" end fight.īut - holy s*** - Daredevil having to battle his way down from a rooftop through an entire building filled with rabid Dogs of Hell members, after already being injured at the hands of Punisher in the season premiere, was just phenomenal. From just a pure, raw intensity level, the final 10 or so minutes of "New York's Finest" were some of most exciting, nail-gnawing action I've ever seen. On one hand, why try to tamper with such a seminal moment? Even if it's to try and best it? But then the other side of the argument is.well, if any show can top itself, it's this one. Compared to most of Marvel’s other action sequences, this fight looked like it could have gone down in real life, though the odds on the good guy surviving would assuredly decrease."Will Marvel's Daredevil attempt to top the hallway fight scene from Season 1?" is certainly a valid question to have had heading into this new batch of episodes. Rather than have Matt effortlessly pummel his opponents in the span of three minutes, Daredevil showed him getting tired as the fight wore on, pausing to catch his breath after incapacitating nearby foes, and by the end of it, he could barely walk into the room where the child was being held. The scene started out calmly as it established the two rooms the goons were in and Matt slowly walking down the hall to get a feel for where everything was, but once he barged into the first room, all hell broke loose. After recovering from injuries sustained in the beginning of the episode thanks to Claire Temple’s care, Matt discovered the location of the missing child when he interrogated one of the men sent to kill him. Most of “Cut Man” was essentially the calm leading up to the storm that was that hallway fight. So there’s a moment where he can barely stand up, and that’s kind of a real moment. It was such a long take that Chris Brewster, who was Charlie’s stunt double for the whole show, was becoming physically exhausted at the end. Needless to say, creating the whole thing was an exhausting affair. Noting that they shot about eight or nine takes of the hallway brawl over six to seven hours, Daredevil’s director of photography Matthew Lloyd explained to The Guardian how aside from the last scene of Matt and the kid walking out, everything in that sequence was one take.