Sin City (2005) Rated: R for sustained strong stylized violence, nudity and sexual content including dialogue Runtime: 126 mins. Director: Frank Miller; Robert Rodriguez; Quentin Tarantino Writer: Frank Miller Cast: Bruce Willis; Mickey Rourke; Jessica Albs; Brittney Murphy; Clive Owen... complete cast Tagline: Walk down the right back alley in Sin City and you can find anything. Genre: Crime/Action/Drama
Memorable Quote: "Every ounce of me wants to get some killing done!"
Reel rating:
4/5
Reel commentary: ...It's a violent film. At least I think it is. Is it considered violence when victims simply cover their numerous bullet wounds with bandages and carry on as if nothing had happened? Is it considered gore when blood pours yellow or white?... full review
Ordinarily, a film with more than one director hints at some kind of production problems or an internal studio power struggle. And it usually culminates in a butchered mess of a film. Although Sin City lists no fewer than three directors, the film is a fresh and innovative treat that I promise is like nothing you have ever seen before. It's a violent film. At least I think it is. Is it considered violence when victims simply cover their numerous bullet wounds with bandages and carry on as if nothing had happened? Is it considered gore when blood pours yellow or white?
Frank Miller's like-named graphic novels – I call them comic books – get the literal treatment in Sin City. Faithful fan-boy comic lovers always complain that comic book screen adaptations never resemble their source material. Better not hear this complaint with Sin City. In fact, digital genius Robert Rodriguez shoots the movie using the graphic novels almost as a frame-by-frame storyboard. He even goes so far as to include much of Miller's exact dialogue in the movie. As a result, Sin City the movie plays out as a uber-violent noir-ish progression of visual imagery that is so highly stylized it somehow lessens the impact of the mile-a-minute blood letting, all the while remaining true to Miller's dark fictional world. At times I was expecting to see the words Kapow! Or Eeeeek! appear on the screen in emphatic block lettering.
Shot in black and white with strategically placed spots of vibrant color – like a woman's stunning red lips or her penetrating eyes of cyan – the seedy world of Basin City (Sin City) is bathed in perpetual darkness, making it the perfect atmosphere for co-directors Miller and Rodriguez to bring their sleazy, grungy characters to life. Quentin Tarantino even gets a turn behind the camera, appearing as guest director for one of the film's episodes. Basin City is a dark and insidious place where the simplistically juvenile imaginations of adolescent comic book readers can run wild. All the women are voluptuous and run around nude or nearly nude, as they are simply the manifestations of what testosterone-charged teen-aged boys think women should be. But they're also tough as hell and might rare up and kick anyone's ass at any moment. You might call them broads as that term fits better into the period atmosphere. Everyone who walks the street carries a weapon and no one is afraid to use it.
Many will like Sin City; some won't. It's as beautiful as it is gruesome and as mean-spirited as it is affectionate. The stylistic approach it takes towards its subject matter seems a bit gimmicky at first and takes some getting used to. It will call for the viewer to suspend many of the properties of reality to the point of near ridiculousness, but as the movie progresses, its innovative storytelling skills and its stunning visuals will be enough to win over even the most skeptical of viewers. So, just sit back, prepare yourself for a gorgeously gory thrill-ride into 21st century film-noir and have fun looking for Mickey Rourke.
