Sin City

Sin City is based on three different stories in a place called Basin City. The way the three stories unfold and collapse against one another is captivating to see. Based on the graphic novels by Frank Miller, Sin City is perhaps the first film ever made to really have the authentic tone and look of comic books. Even if you have not seen the film, you probably had heard of this film for it's original style and unique touch of black-and-white special effects. I thought this was one heck of a movie. I thought this was one of the few films to actually have a really powerful narration, which is done by the three main characters played by Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, and Bruce Willis. I thought the first third with Marv(Mickey Rourke) was one amazing story. I loved the beginning, and I loved this story the best out of the whole film. The second story which focuses on Dwight(Clive Owen) was to an extent different, although the same menacing feel is still there. Whereas Marv's story relied more on suspense and mystery, this part was more action-packed, which had really amazing uses of violence and gore. The third and final act, about Hardigan(Bruce Willis) was more similar to Marv's story, and also had the right use of violence, mystery, and action. I thought the ensemble cast was certainly one to marvel at. There are a lot of movie stars in this film, and some of them are brilliant, whereas some of them not so much. I thought Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Rosario Dawson, Elijah Wood, and Benicio Del Toro were the best of the film. They all delivered their best. Especially Benicio Del Toro, who really gave us a creepy and menacing villain. There were others who were not as great. Clive Owen was mixed. In some parts he was great, in others he seemed so dull. Alexis Bledel, Jaime King, and Jessica Alba also had some good parts, but in others they were all sort of bland or bad. But the biggest problem was Brittany Murphy. I thought Murphy was just horrible. In her only scene, she was just talking and acting so mediocre, did not like her one bit. I have seen her in other films, and I thought she was a good actress. Maybe something happened with her here, but she was by far the worst. The writing is also something to appreciate. It was cheesy in parts, but I thought everything, from the dialogue to the events, were all done as they would in a comic book, or in this case graphic novel. I especially liked the imagery and figurative dialogue and the narration that was used, and really enhanced the film to another level.

Overall, Sin City is one of the most ambitious, original, entertaining, captivating, action packed, visually stunning and artistically magnificent films I have ever had the pleasure of watching. I expect a lot of repeat viewings, and action films had never gotten better than this. A one and only film that needs to be watched, even if only for for its incredible style and ambitious craft.

Went to a sneak preview of this movie today, and I was blown away. Over the years people have tried to emulate the feel of comics on the screen, and met with mild success(Dick Tracy), minor failure(Hulk), and solid success(Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow). This is hard to do, but Sin City hits this dead on. The film is entirely in black and white(Except for about 20 seconds that I noticed in one scene.), except for highlights of color(Gorgeous eyes, splattered blood, and red Converse All-Stars to name a few.). This gives the film a feel that immerses you into the storyline. Add to this the overly corny duologue and scenes where scantily(And I DO mean scantily) clad women pull Uzi's out of literally nowhere, and you have all the right makings for a transfer of a comic book to the screen. The duologue had me laughing almost constantly, but it's easy to tell that they wanted you to laugh, even when they lines were incredibly corny and melodramatic...

The performances in the movie were great as well. I believe my favorite male character was Marv, played by Micky Rourke, and my favorite female character was definitely Miho, played by Devon Aoki. It seems that everyone and their dog was either in this movie, or lent some of their talents to it, and it shows.

I would definitely suggest that you see this in the theatre the very first time, because it will NEVER have the same impact on your TV at home as it does on a 30-foot screen in a dark theatre. I was actually able to note a few times where the digital cameras were able to outperform anything film could do.

A lot of violence in this movie, although most of it is either totally cartoon-style, or off camera, and some gore as well... A good amount of nudity in the film, ALL of it on camera, so you'll probably want to leave the kiddies at home.

All in all, one of the best movies I have seen in a long time, and I'll probably go see it again while it's in the theatres, so that my fiancé can enjoy it as well...

I caught the Philly sneak preview of "Sin City" yesterday, and I have to say my hat is off. Few comic book movies have ever looked good on screen. The X-Men and Spider Man movies have done a good job breaking that stigma. In my opinion the aforementioned flicks have been a perfect melding of Hollywood and the Comic book universe, but "Sin City" elevates it to an art form, literally. It is hands down, the best representation of a comic book turned film ever. After catching the trailer on a TV commercial, I was intrigued, to say the least. So I went to my local comic book store and bought the Frank Miller books the movie is based on, and enjoyed them for their off beat humor, incredible violence, and stories of love, lust, friendship, honor and seedily-earned redemption in the underworld of fictional Basin City. Upon further contact with the Comic Book store owner, he clued me in to the sneak preview on the 16th of March (yesterday as I post this), so like a kid on his way to pick up the latest issues of whatever comics are popular these days, I took the day off and went to the showing. Having recently read the stories that are included in the film ("Sin City," later renamed to "The Hard Goodbye"; "The Big Fat Kill;" and "That Yellow Bastard"), I was amazed at how much of the dialogue and narration of the books actually made it to the big screen translation. This coming from a guy whose heart was ripped out by the bastardization of "The Sum of All Fears," bear in mind - I know what it's like to have a book you love not be given the loving attention we feel it deserves when it hits the big screen. The dialogue isn't always the best (it's a comic book, not Shakespeare, people) and even the best acting in the world won't change that. But seriously, if you're paying attention to that minor blemish, you're missing the point of the movie to begin with. Aside from the dialogue, the imagery in the film is something to be appreciated, whether you like the stories or not. Equally beautiful and gritty black and white, with occasional brushes of color that all but explode off the screen- the comic books (graphic novels to you purists) act like storyboards for this movie- as life is breathed into the still images on the pages. The "From Book to Screen" section that is no doubt going to be a feature on the future DVD release of this movie will no doubt drop a few jaws for those that haven't bothered to check out the source material. Cold, cruel humor and over-the-top, audience-wince-inducing violence are blended in the style of "Pulp Fiction" and "From Dusk 'Till Dawn" for obvious reasons, but as I stated before, it's all direct from the books. Kudos to Robert Rodriguez for not compromising in the making of this film and for his commitment to the original source material; and also to his co-director Frank Miller for his obvious contributions. And to the actors in it- the cavalcade of them. My favorite performance was turned in by Mickey Rourke for playing Marv absolutely letter perfect from the book (and he demonstrates one of the best narrative voices I've heard in a movie since Morgan Freeman in "The Shawshank Redemption"). Elijah Wood has a non-speaking role, but his Kevin will follow you home as much as Nick Stahl's Junior does. Clive Owen is solid as Dwight (and I know a lot of geek fan-boys out there were upset that he was picked for the character) and Bruce Willis does what he does best as a cop that won't quit, Hartigan. The standout female performance is a toss up between either Rosario Dawson for her valkyrie, warrior, hooker Gail, or (it kills me to say it) Brittany Murphy as a "His Girl Friday" cocktail waitress. The movie is definitely not for all tastes, and kids shouldn't be allowed in buildings even next to theaters showing this movie- but it will no doubt be a hotly discussed film as we creep through Hollywood's typically "phoned-in, pre-Summer" Feb/March/April offerings.

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.

Based on the graphic novels by Frank Miller (who also co-directed and wrote the screenplay) Sin City tells three stories of crime, corruption, and redemption set in the fictional town 'Basin City'. The first story details the quest of Marv (Mickey Rourke) who searches town for the man who murdered Goldie (Jamie King), the woman he believes to be his one true love. The second tells of Dwight (Clive Owen) who must cover up the death of a corrupt police officer (Benicio Del Toro) in order to avoid a war between the cops, and the girls of old town, led by Gail. (Rosiaro Dawson) The final story shows Hartigan, (Bruce Willis) a beat up retired cop framed for a crime he didn't commit, trying to save the life of a girl whose life he saved at a young age, who grew up to become a stripper, (Jessica Alba) while all the while being tracked by a mysterious stranger with a grotesque appearance. (Nick Stahl)

It's a churning vat of old fashioned pulp style stories, each one more dark and edgy then the last. And yet, Sin City itself is morbidly fascinating; if you don't mind delving through the haze of sleaze, violence and corruption you'll find a really compelling story underneath the hard exterior. Sin City exudes the essence of classic film noir, except combined with over-the-top violence, characters and dialogue to maintain that comic book feel. Giving co-director status to creator Frank Miller and allowing him to write the screenplay was perhaps the wisest move director Robert Rodriguez ever made, because Miller's gritty influence shines through, perfectly capturing the mood of his original creations.

And the visuals... extraordinary. The entire film is shot in black and white, except for certain items which appear in colour. (a red dress, red blood, although sometimes the blood is stark white, and not to mention Nick Stahl's character, Yellow Bastard, who is, indeed, yellow) Rodriguez is also smart enough to use a greenscreen backdrop, so as to recreate Miller's gritty, moody sets by computer animation instead of trying to create them first hand. And it works, wonderfully - the sets perfectly set the tone for the rest of the movie: dark, bold, over-the-top and quality work unlike any other. Add the characters' noirish costumes (almost every male character sports, as Marv puts it, a "damn fine coat") unique appearances, (it says a lot for the quality of the movie when a character like Yellow Bastard doesn't seem out of place) and movement (take note that if the movie was paused at any given point, the frame would look like a panel from a comic book) and Miller and Rodriguez perfectly nail the comic book feel.

It also helps that a wonderful cast has been assembled to bring life to the mayhem. Spot on performances abroad here, but the standouts in my opinion were Elijah Wood, who was truly chilling as Kevin, the silent, cannibalistic serial killer; Nick Stahl as Roarke Junior/Yellow Bastard, a truly creepy and disgusting character; Clive Owen, playing against type as Dwight; (who isn't exactly a sophisticated, British gentleman, but then again, no one in this film is) Mickey Rourke as Marv, managing to turn out a stunning performance, even with his face buried under several layers of latex; Benicio Del Toro almost unrecognizable as corrupt cop Jackie Boy and a welcome appearance from Michael Clarke Duncan as Manute, an enforcer specializing in inflicting pain. The hard edged ladies also do a great job, with Jessica Alba, Rosiaro Dawson, Carla Gugino, Jamie King and the rest all giving great performances.

It's all in the style of such films as Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, so it may be wise to use those films as guidelines of what to expect in terms of content. It's true that Sin City is not for everyone: the violence is brutal and unflinching, most characters are disreputable, manipulative and sleazy, and the whole feel of the film is undesirable, and not too cheery. But if none of that deters you, Sin City should be known as a must see, for the superb visual stylistics if nothing else. But the style and feel of the comic books is perfectly captured and thrust into our faces. Frank Miller must be proud.

-10/10