10 Movies To Watch if You Love Netflix’s ‘Daredevil’

With the release of Daredevil: Born Again and people finishing up their rewatch of Daredevil, people are yearning for more content like the iconic Marvel Studios property. The grittiness, goriness, neo-noir type of feeling that people get from the franchise is really special that isn’t found done well all the time—especially when it comes to superhero stories.

In the superhero realm, Daredevil is pretty much the best example/appearance of pulling off a tone and genre like this with a larger-than-life superpowered hero, but there are some film projects that also come pretty close to meeting it. Even cooler films arrive when one steps out of that corner of cinema. So, while one definitely doesn’t have time to watch an entire series before the newest episodes of Daredevil: Born Again, a film just like that would be the perfect thing for one to watch to get their fix.

Daredevil

Release Date: 2015 – 2017
Showrunner: Steven S. DeKnight

10

‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Heath Ledger's Joker sits across from Christian Bale's Batman in an interrogation room in The Dark Knight. — Image via Warner Bros.

One of the most beloved superhero films of all time also gets pretty close to capturing the feeling that Daredevil delivers. Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight is the best film example of bringing a Marvel or DC hero into the real world and making them fit into it in a way that feels 100% tangible and like they genuinely could exist if they popped up tomorrow.

Daredevil (Charlie Cox), aside from his super-senses, is a vigilante that could definitely exist in the modern day. The same can certainly be said about his anti-hero frenemy, The Punisher (Jon Bernthal), who is simply a man with some guns and a dream. While Batman (Christian Bale) may be rich, he certainly could exist in the real world and one of the best films that displays this believably is The Dark Knight.

9

‘Daredevil’ (2003)

Directed by Mark Steven Johnson

Matt Murdock reaching out to touch Elektra's face in Daredevil — Image via 20th Century Studios

While his most popular appearances are in the MCU realm, Daredevil had a solo film in the early 2000s that he was known for quite some time for. A film before the MCU, 2003’s Daredevil, where he is portrayed by iconic actor, Ben Affleck, is a movie with a very mixed reception. However, it has found some more support over the years as people have looked back on it with nostalgia.

If people are looking to get their Daredevil fix, they can get a fun watch out of this variant of the character—which also serves as a fun look at the career of Affleck (plus, who knows, maybe he’ll return for Avengers: Secret Wars). This Daredevil’s story with Bullseye (Colin Farrell) and Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan) could be a fun story to watch, with said conflicts also playing out in Daredevil: Born Again.

Daredevil

Release Date: February 14, 2003
Runtime: 103 minutes
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Writers: Mark Steven Johnson, Frank Miller

8

‘Logan’ (2017)

Directed by James Mangold

Dafne Keen as X-23 and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine bloody and bruised while driving a car in 'Logan' — Image via 20th Century Studios

When it comes to gritty, R-rated superhero stories, not many projects do it better than that of 20th Century Fox’s Logan. The gory and extremely deep plot that plays out in this entry in the Wolverine franchise brings about a type of story that truly hadn’t been brought to superhero films before, making it incredibly special.

If people like the raw violence brought to the screen in Daredevil and Daredevil: Born Again, they will most certainly get it by checking out Logan. Also, like Daredevil, the violence isn’t everything in the film—it’s not even the main focus. The movie is most concerned with providing a story that is compelling that the action can enhance, rather than overshadow.

Logan

Release Date: March 3, 2017
Runtime: 137 Minutes

7

‘Blade’ (1998)

Directed by Stephen Norrington

Blade, played by Wesley Snipes, smiles and holds up a double-sided throwing weapon. — Image via New Line Cinema

Another superhero flick that brings some epic violence to the stage is an absolute film classic, Blade. The iconic Wesley Snipes brings a performance and character that people have adored for decades. Somehow, Blade manages to execute raw and tangible action while juggling incredibly supernatural elements.

If people are looking for a style akin to the Daredevil shows, but with some more fantastical spice, that’s almost exactly what Blade brings to the table. It also has an old-school feel that can’t be found in the more modern Daredevil: Born Again. Blade‘s quality and social love were proven by how excited people were about his cameo appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Blade

Release Date: August 21, 1998
Runtime: 120 Minutes

6

‘Memento’ (2000)

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby showing a polaroid to someone off-camera in Memento. — Image via Newmarket Films

While it’s not as action-oriented as the shows surrounding The Man Without Fear, one of Christopher Nolan’s earliest films, Memento captures the somewhat neo-noir feeling that can be found in parts and eras of the Daredevil series. While it’s one of his first, Nolan’s Memento is one of his best because of the way he almost mastered the genre and tone.

For anyone that appreciates that corner of the many themes and vibes that make up Daredevil, this project from the incredibly celebrated director is absolutely a great choice to go see. The way both projects handle the topics of justice and vengeance makes them quite similar in the story department, as well.

Memento

Release Date: May 25, 2001
Runtime: 113 minutes

5

‘I Saw the Devil’ (2010)

Directed by Kim Jee-woon

Lee Byung-hun as Kim Soo-hyun looking serious, standing among cultivated plants in I Saw the Devil. — Image via Showbox

This South Korean thriller not only shares a lot of similarities to Daredevil in action, messages, and characters, but it also happens to have “devil” in the name. I Saw the Devil is a movie about Kim Soo-hyun (Lee Byung-hun) running down a path of brutal vengeance as the love of his life is murdered by a serial killer.

The Netflix series and film by Kim Jee-woon both take pride in challenging their main characters’ senses of morality; exploring the depths of their villains’ minds and motivations; dissecting the cost of violence and adding to its cycle; and providing some absolutely brutal fights. Their antagonists aren’t straight-up villains, but rather deeply complex characters who do evil things. Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Jang Kyung-chul (Choi Min-sik) are both complicated men who are doing terrible things, making them easier to understand.

I Saw the Devil

Release Date: August 12, 2010
Runtime: 144 Minutes
Director: Kim Jee-woon
Writers: Park Hoon-jung, Kim Jee-woon

4

‘John Wick’ (2014)

Director Chad Stahelski

Keanu Reeves as John Wick in the movie 'John Wick' looking upset with a wound on his forehead and blood in his mouth. — Image via Lionsgate

John Wick relates to Daredevil in very similar ways to I Saw the Devil. While John Wick absolutely villainizes its antagonist, the action is quite similar and the minds/character arcs are astoundingly alike. Both John Wick (Keanu Reeves) and Matt Murdock have trouble escaping their violent tendencies and struggle with their personal moral codes as they seek their own interpretations of justice.

The entire John Wick franchise receives a ton of praise for the way it handles the consequences of all their characters’ actions. Every plot moment, character choice, and battle are results of the consequences of decisions made in the story. Matt’s decisions also have a major impact on the plot, especially with his role in both the judicial system and as Daredevil. The way the writers handle Kingpin’s role in New York City society and his “untouchability” plays with consequences quite a bit.

John Wick

Release Date: October 24, 2014
Runtime: 101 Minutes

3

‘The Batman’ (2022)

Directed by Matt Reeves

Robert Pattinson as Batman stares intently at something off-screen in The Batman. — Image via Warner Bros.

The newest adaption of the Batman character in The Batman is about the closest a cinema superhero has gotten to the interpretation of Daredevil in the Netflix series and new Disney+ show. Bruce Wayne’s (Robert Pattinson) view of justice and the brutal way he delivers it is almost identical to the way Matt Murdock does.

Both The Batman and the Daredevil series also heavily relate to the political undertones of the plot and how society can affect stories like this. Kingpin in Daredevil and Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) in The Batman share a ton of similarities in their iron fist rule over New York and Gotham City and how they can manipulate the hero in non-physical ways.

The Batman

Release Date: March 4, 2022
Runtime: 176 minutes

2

‘Fight Club’ (1999)

Directed by David Fincher

Edward Norton and Brad Pitt as The Narrator and Tyler sit next to each other on an airplane in Fight Club. — Image via 20th Century Fox

While it may not be the first film people think of when looking for content like Daredevil, Fight Club is incredibly similar to the Netflix show—especially with how alike the protagonists actually are. Matt Murdock and The Narrator (Edward Norton) both have alter egos—Daredevil and Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt)—that represent their darker, more violent desires and tendencies within the story.

The way both projects are shot emphasizes the use of shadows and isolation. The very realistic yet stylized color grades also support these projects immensely. Of course, it could go without saying that the action depicted in Daredevil and Fight Club is both brutal and palpable. Making these projects pretty close both visually and thematically.

Fight Club

Release Date: October 15, 1999
Runtime: 139 minutes

1

‘Oldboy’ (2003)

Directed by Park Chan-wook

Cho Min-sik as Dae-su Oh holding a weapon in Oldboy. — Image via Show East

Before the likes of projects like John Wick and I Saw the Devil, 2003’s Oldboy, directed by Park Chan-wook, was one of the original projects that depicted a character on a brutal path of vengeance. This is another project where Matt finds a plethora of similarities in the main character, Dae-su Oh (Choi Min-sik). Both of them struggle with becoming far cries from the men they are through their trail of bodies (knocked out and dead). Both also find themselves consistently being manipulated by enemies pulling their strings and making life harder for them.

The biggest and most notable relationship between Daredevil and Oldboy is the fact that Daredevil‘s most iconic fight sequences (that happen to make an appearance in every season)—the “one-shot fights”—take heavy inspiration from the legendary Oldboy action sequence that did it 12 years prior. It’s one of the most popular examples of a battle like this and, to this day, the best executed on film. Just make sure to ignore its remake!