Based on the graphic novels by Frank Miller, Sin City starts
with a seemingly normal scene showing a man meeting a woman in an elegant red
dress at a penthouse party. Narrated by the man, who is played by Josh Harnett,
this little vignette ends in such a way that lets the viewer right off that Sin
City will be something very special. Sin City is a dark, cynical place where
corruption rules supreme and the average Joe (and Jane) sometimes has to do what
he can just to survive. Shot in black and white with flashes of color that
accent a specific detail within the frame (the bright red of a dress; the flash
of blue in a woman's eyes), by directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller (with
a "guest appearance" by Quentin Tarantino; this means he was invited to direct a
scene within the movie by Rodriguez), Sin City is a stylish, supercharged action
film that fondly recalls the steamy film noirs of the 1940s as seen through
Frank Miller's distinctive storytelling method.
Rodriguez and Miller tell their story through a series of smaller, intertwined
tales that blend together to create its own universe and mythology. Bruce Willis
stars as Hartigan, one of the last of the decent cops in Sin City who struggles
to save a stripper named Nancy, played by Jessica Alba. Clive Owen also stars as
Dwight, a murderer with a new face who comes to the aid of the hookers in Old
Town against a psychopath smartly played by Benicio Del Toro. And then there's
Marv. Brilliantly played by the always vastly underrated Mickey Rourke, Marv is
a mountain of a man who becomes an unstoppable force for vengeance when the
woman he loves is murdered and he's framed as her killer.
The astoundingly superb cast also includes Elijah Wood as a creepy killer;
Rosario Dawson as Gail, the leader of the Old Town hookers; Nick Stahl from
Terminator 3 as the Yellow Bastard; Reservoir Dogs' Michael Madsen as Hargitan's
partner; Daredevil's Michael Clarke Duncan as a one-eyed mob enforcer, and Carla
Cugino--who played the mother in Rodriguez's Spy Kids movies--as Marv's very
sexy probation officer. Fans of the WB's Gilmore Girls may be shocked to see
Alexis Bledel here as Becky, one of the hookers in Gail's stable. Blade Runner's
Rutger Hauer also appears as Cardinal Roark; Powers Boothe, from Deadwood, stars
as a devious senator, and Brittany Murphy also shines as Shellie, a waitress who
manages to get caught up in the madness swirling around her.
Rodriguez and Miller (as well as Tarantino) have succeeded wildly in bringing
Miller's graphic novels to dazzling cinematic life. This is not so much an
adaptation as it is a recreation of Miller's work in moving image form. Sin City
was one of those really enjoyable movies that made me want to see it again as
soon as it was over. The only problem with the DVD is there are virtually no
special features, save for a slim (8 minutes long) making of feature. The
feature only gives a very brief look into the filming of the movie, which was
largely done with actors on green screen stages. One gets the feeling that a
"special edition" of Sin City is on the way, as there have been rumors about
Rodriguez's desire to reedit the film into three separate stories, as the
graphic novels were. But no matter what the future brings, Sin City is worth
picking up just for the amazing movie itself. Just don't spend too much time
lurking in its dark alleys, for you never know who--or what--you're going to meet.
--SF
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