Walk down the right back alley in Sin City, and you can find anything...
SIN CITY
by Shawn Snead / April 1st, 2005
"A hard top with a decent engine, and make sure it's got a big trunk. I'll always love ya, baby."
"Always, and never."
Based on Frank Miller's graphic novels, Sin City is infested with bullets, blood, devils, and dames. Some searching for redemption, some searching for vengeance, some searching for both. The film centers around three main stories adapted from Miller's novels, "The Hard Goodbye," "The Big Fat Kill," and "That Yellow Bastard." The stories, and characters intertwine featuring the likes Marv (masterfully played by Mickey Rourke), a hulkish outcast looking to avenge the death of his woman, Dwight (Clive Owen), a heartbreaker defending a gang of prostitutes (Rosario Dawson, Alexis Bledel, Devon Aoki) from Jackie Boy (Benicio del Toro), a dirty cop with a penchant for violence, and Hartigan (Bruce Willis), a cop with a bum ticker and a vow to protect stripper Nancy (Jessica Alba) from a sadistic rapist (Nick Stahl). Wow, that was a mouthful.
Robert Rodriguez directs (alongside Frank Miller, and Quentin Tarantino) a brutal, groundbreaking, brilliant piece of cinema. Sin City, undoubtedly, is the best film so far this year, and sets a very high bar for the rest of the year.
Just the amazing visual style alone will have your jaw on the floor. It's a first in cinema. No other film is in the same league, visually. The white silhouettes that are used, particularly in the opening scene, Robert's adaptation of a short story of Frank's, "The Customer Is Always Right," are beautiful. The rain that falls over the city, through the black and whites, the blood that falls over the city. The three-dimensional black and white look, with shades of color. Blue eyes, golden hair, red cars, and Chuck Taylor's. Oh, and of course the Yellow Bastard. Who is not actually a bastard, his father plays an important part to the film. But he's yellow, and... well, he's just a bastard.
Sin City is a fictional place, set it the genius mind of Frank Miller. His own place to go as hard, and as harsh as he wants to. This isn't your father's comic book movie. This isn't some superhero adaptation. This is a hard film. But, it's not realistic violence. It's not offensive. It's very stylized, and at times, very beautiful.
The acting is top notch. Mickey Rourke was nothing short of amazing in the film. He WAS Marv. He absorbed the character, and stole every scene he was in. He can be supercool, making you laugh, while provoking empathy at the same time. He is flawless in the film. Rourke's shining comeback moment. The rest of the cast is terrific, notably del Toro, and Owen. The scenes featuring those two are absolutely classic. Tarantino directs them in one scene, one of the best scenes in the film. Benicio is right on, showing how versatile he can be.
Being adapted from a comic book into a campy noir atmosphere, you expect over-the-top acting. That was the intention of Frank Miller, and Robert Rodriguez. The over-the-top acting, the hokey dialogue, and cartoonish violence. It's not distracting, I don't think so, anyway. It fits into the atmosphere of the film. It all works.
What Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller directs is an enigma, a one-of-a-kind film. A film that will serve as a textbook for many years to come. It's a triumph.
(may add more later)
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Dimension Films, Troublemaker Studios
Running Time: 2 Hours, 6 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Rated R for sustained strong stylized violence, nudity and sexual content including dialogue.
Release Date: Friday, April 1st, 2005
Viewed: Friday, April 1st, 2005
Starring Mickey Rourke (Marv), Clive Owen (Dwight), Bruce Willis (Hartigan), Jessica Alba (Nancy Callahan), Rosario Dawson (Gail), Nick Stahl (Junior/The Yellow Bastard), Elijah Wood (Kevin), Benicio del Toro (Jackie Boy), Jamie King (Goldie/Wendy), Devon Aoki (Miho), Brittany Murphy (Shellie), Alexis Bledel (Becky), Josh Hartnett (The Salesman), Powers Boothe (Senator Rourk), Michael Clarke Duncan (Manute), Carla Gugino (Lucille), Michael Madsen (Bob)
Produced By Elizabeth Avellan, Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez
Written By Frank Miller & Robert Rodriguez (Based on the graphic novels by Frank Miller)
Directed By Frank Miller & Robert Rodriguez (with special guest director Quentin Tarantino)
posted by Shawn Snead @ 3/31/2005 08:55:00 PM
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