Movie Review : Sin City (2005) starring Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba and Mickey Rourke. Directed by Rober Rodriguez, Frank Miller and Quentin Tarantino.
Plot Shot : Walk down the right back alley in Sin City and you can find anything. Walk into a theater playing "Sin City" and you can find a great movie. Frank Miller's series of graphic novels is brilliantly brought to the screen by Robert Rodriguez and Co. Sin is in, a groundbreaker ensues...
Re-View : The best and worst that life has to offer are on display in the big screen adaptation of Frank Miller's "Sin City". The fictional city of Sin is home to a breeding ground of saints, sinners and sick fucks. The lives of various characters intersect as one another try to find redemption, revenge or a hot piece of ass. Opening with a short story about star-crossed lovers played by Josh Hartnet and Marley Shelton you can tell "Sin City" is going to be a different kind of movie. There are three main stories running their courses in the flick. First is the tale of a Danny Glover-esque cop (Bruce Willis) investigating the serial rape and murder of Basin City's children. Next we have the bittersweet tale of Marv (Mickey Rourke), a lunatic with a heart of gold and a face only a hooker could love. Finally we have the David and Goliath story played out between hookers and the Mob.
Despite the assorted story arcs each part offers something new thematically. "Sin City" is impossible to sum up with one word or genre. It is classified as film noir, but even that title falls short of accurately describing the flick. If you like gore, you'll get a heaping helping of gore. Violence, check! Gunplay, swordplay and good old fashioned fisticuffs with a comic twist add some spice to the mix. For the lovers there is a nice little bit of sensitivity. There is some great romantic moments and despite the castrations and decapitations can function well as a date flick. That is of course if you are dating a slightly abnormal female and aren't going on a first date. There are going to be a lot of people that don't like this flick unfortunately. It is violent and gory but most of it is more implied that seen. Also there is a claim that the movie is misogynistic but honestly the women in this flick although scantily clad are as empowered as the men. For those expecting a comic book movie with brilliant colors and clear cut goodies and baddies might also be rubbed the wrong way by a complicated morally shady story. This movie is definitely not for kids or people expecting "Spider-Man".
I was familiar with Frank Miller's "Sin City" graphic novels which the movie is based on. I had read a couple of them but honestly had never appreciated them because at the time I wasn't into the graphic novel genre as much as comics (big difference). Judging from the previews, reviews and comparisons to the hideous "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" had me worried that this would be a disaster. I was dead fucking wrong. Walking out of this movie I was awed at the level of filmmaking that I had witnessed. Robert Rodriguez of the "Mariachi" and "Spy Kids" trilogies fame really makes a statement here. I loved Rodriguez "Mariachi" movies and was amazed that he basically does everything on a movie set from operating the camera to scoring. I believe with "Sin City" Rodriguez establishes himself as the new hot young groundbreaking director in Hollywood supplanting his overrated pal Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino took the director's chair to lens a scene but there is really no discernable style change, it is Rodriguez with the assistance of Miller's source material that helm this flick.
The visual style of the film is striking being almost completely in black and white with occasional color highlights. It is gritty, ugly and beautiful at the same time. The style of the film is a mirror for the characters who are also complex, fully fleshed out and exist more in the gray areas than just black and white, good and evil. The dialogue is also fabulous. At times it seems out of place with it's flowery intellectual quality contrasting the violence on screen, but it is this strange qualities and contradictions which make this movie so interesting. The actors are all remarkable with heavy praise going out to Mickey Rourke who has the unenviable task of having to emote through heavy facial prosthetics. Bruce Willis and Clive Owen are also commendable in their roles as a cop and a reformed killer respectively. Nick Stahl and Benicio Del Toro are despicable and hateful but the evil MVP goes to the mute Elijah Wood. The women, oh wow the women in this movie are as beautiful as they are deadly. Rosario Dawson, Alexis Biedel, Jessica Alba, Carla Gugino and Brittany Murphy are all impressive and draw the eye every time they are on screen.
Sequel Worthy ? : There are many storylines from Frank Miller's graphic novels left untouched in this movie so I would say beyond a shadow of a doubt that there should and most likely will be a sequel. The reviews for this movie have been outstanding and the box office receipts have been as well so it would be insane not to visit "Sin City" again.
To DVD or not to DVD : I will be at my local store the day this DVD is released waiting for my copy of "Sin City". Judging from past purchases of Rodriguez flicks he always loads them full of groovy special features and provides some lively commentary as well. I would say that this would be a good blind buy for people who enjoy good movies.
Epitaph : Here lies "Sin City", if loving this movie is a sin I'll see you in Hell.
Final Grade :
9 out of 10 Skulls
Afterglow : Robert Rodriguez insisted that Frank Miller be his co-director and resigned from the Director's Guild of America to ensure this. The DGA precludes having more than one director per picture. The classy and smart move resulted in Rodriguez being removed as director of the upcoming "John Carter of Mars".
Frank Miller wrote the script for "Robocop 2" and was left so angry at the studios chopping up of his script that he refused to sell many of his properties to Hollywood. Rodriguez, being a huge "Sin City" fan, shot audition footage in secret and sent it to Miller who liked it so much he gave Rodriguez his blessing.
Frank Miller has a cameo as a priest.
Quentin Tarantino was paid $1 for his directing fees for "Sin City" the same amount Rodriguez was paid for scoring "Kill Bill Vol. 2".