There's nothing comic about this dark tale

LIKE his best friend Matt Damon, Ben Affleck's latest film couldn't be further away from his typical roles.

The actor, who is most likely to be seen in thoughtful films or romantic comedies, has gone all mean and moody and is currently starring in Hollywood's latest comic book conversion, Daredevil.

But this Marvel hero is drastically different from stablemates such as Spiderman, The X Men and The Fantastic Four in that many of the story lines surrouding the crimson clad crimefighter are so dark as to be almost black.

The premise too is different.

Daredevil, or Matt Murdoch as he is known, is the result of an accident in his childhood involving toxic waste.

This left the youngster blind but to compensate for his sensory loss also gave him extraordinary heightened senses of smell and sound as well as almost precognitive spacial awareness.

The central plot for this opener in what is sure to be a long running series introduces Daredevil and also his on-off/love-hate relationship with Elektra, a volatile martial arts expert who sadly is also a sandwich short of a picnic.

The dark tale also introduces crime lord Kingpin as the necessary badguy and Bullseye, the deadly assassin who, as is standard in such films, delivers all the best lines.

But what is exceptional about Daredevil is Ben Affleck who positively radiates power and is convincing as the saviour of the city.