Sin City

If I was to use one word to describe this film it would have to be....Violent! if i was allowed two words I would add 'Visceral'. The movie is two hours long and is structured in a similar way to Pulp Fiction. A bunch of stories set in a consistent world, with characters falling in and out of each others plot lines. On the whole it works brilliantly, and for the duration there isn't a boring moment. It is High octane, million miles and hour storytelling, and it EASILY Robert Rodriguez's best film. Allowing Frank Miller to write the script was a fantastic move, as the dialogue is edgy, witty and VERY faithful to the original material. In fact, many many lines are just taken straight from the pages. likewise, the camera behaves like a moving cartoon box out. The framing of all the key scenes is SO faithful to the printed page that it produces a truly original look that is fairly incomparable. Visually its a true original. Sometimes these visuals fall down, there are some very very obvious digital shots that don't quite gel, but on the whole the cinematography is jaw dropping. You could literally pause the movie at almost any point and just hang that frame on a wall, its that beautiful. Performances are good all round. Mickey Rourke absolutely nails Marv, and the girls of Old Town are all as beautiful as they are deadly. The other standout for me was Elijah Wood, who was truly chilling. Bruce Willis puts in a solid, if unspectacular turn as Hartigan. The film isn't entirely void of criticism. there's some fudging of time lines with Hartigans character (do we really buy Bruce Willis as a nearly 70 year old man?) and the jumps from story to story are jarring initially, but once it settles into itself the ride is fantastic. My other main criticism is the same I have with Quentin Tarantinos work. That every character and every voice in the movie is the same. This is more a fault of the source material, but when every single person is a wise cracking, hard boiled tough guy (even the women) then it kind of distills the effect of their toughness. In a film that is predominantly voice over driven, it is hard to differentiate characters when they all sound exactly the same, both tonally, and in the language they use. Even Marv, who's supposed to be a meat head, talks in gravelly prose that would make Bukowski feel like a Nancy. Other Minor niggles are hardly worth mentioning. From a technical standpoint the sound effects are WAY to loud. All of the punches, gunshots etc are given such ridiculous prominence on the track that they threaten to make mockery of the violence. I actually found that i didn't want any more guns fired cos it was hurting my ears! all in all though, its one hell of a ride, and only a couple of notches below Pulp Fiction on the 'Oh my god that film was cool-o-meter'.

I watched the 'Unrated, Recut and Extended' version of the movie, which is pretty different from the theatrical version of the film (which I've also watched). It's really a 'superhero movie' like those DC/Marvel movies in disguise... these people have super powers, but it isn't explicitly stated. The movie was also breathed-upon by Quentin Tarantino and it totally shows... this is a very 'Quentin Tarantino-esque' movie. It's filled with action, though there's a good amount of drama and story/plot mixed in so that you don't get numb to the bombardment of constant action. Each of the characters are heavily unique yet extremely stereotypically portrayed (for good reason). Overall it's a good film and eventhough this type of movie will only appeal to a small percentage of general audiences, I would recommend that you watch it at least once if you're not certain, as it is really a pretty good movie, especially given the unique artistic choice with the dark art style.

"Sin City" is gritty, dirty, sleazy and violent. It's an excellent adaptation of the graphic novels by Frank Miller and even if you haven't read the original material, it's a lot of fun. This anthology film features characters that are memorable and likable (or despicable) so it will grab your attention and hold on tight the whole way. There are a lot of memorable scenes and lines that are sure to stick with you too but the best part of the film is the art direction and visual style. An element I'm glad they kept from the original source is that the stories are told almost entirely in black and white, with sharp contrast accentuated in many scenes to not only make certain actions more visually striking, but also to make it easy to follow. Then, the movie does something unique. There are dashes of color in certain scenes to make certain actions and characters even more striking. There's a certain character that is highlighted with the color yellow. His physical appearance already makes him stand out, but that use of color makes him feel extra creepy and it's very effective. The sets and character designs (because some characters here are fitted with heavy makeup and prosthetics to make them stand out and look even more unique) make every frame look like a comic book panel, Every shot I saw looked like it had been meticulously planned out, like a piece of art you could have framed on your wall. The bold style isn't just a gimmick though. It's all blended in seamlessly with the story and helps to reinforce the grittyness and themes of corruption while helping accentuate the prevalent violence of the film. My only real criticism is that some of the performances aren't great (Bruce Willis plays it too low-key). It's a disappointment considering some of the others are quite good, and not in the ways you would expect either. I had to do a double take when I realized that was Elijah Wood and Mickey Rourke I just saw! It's a bit of a mixed bag in that department, but everything else is top notch. Once you see "Sin City" you'll be hard pressed to forget it, and not only because of the visuals. (Extended cut on Blu-ray, August 25, 2012)

A film that explores the dark and miserable town, Basin City, and tells the story of three different people, all caught up in violent corruption.

Although the use of digital filming and CGI is very contentious, Robert Rodriguez found a way to make it work to his advantage in a way that may not have been possible with traditional film. The way the black and white brings the noir to life, blending smoothly with the rare other colors... it is the only way to bring a comic book to life. (A similar style is in "The Spirit", which does not get nearly the respect it deserves.)

This casting is incredible, as it is varied and really brought the best performances out of Alexis Bledel, Rosario Dawson and Jessica Alba that their careers ever had. Mickey Rourke was re-invented, and this may have been one of the last great Bruce Willis roles. Such a powerful film.

Just watched the Advance Screening last night and I must say that this movie pulls all the punches in violence. It deserves its hard R rating in the first five minutes and doesn't let up until the end credits roll. It has it all - bullets, boobs and be-headings - beautifully set in a grim atmosphere that really keeps you on the edge of your seat. All cast performances were excellent - especially Mickey Rourke's "Marv" character. Fans of the comic will not be disappointed in this film adaption. This movie is definitely not for the squeamish or faint-of-heart.

Sin City grabs you by the nuts and doesn't let go! A must see!