Sin City is the brilliant new "comic book" movie to hit the screens this season. Star-studded and graphically remarkable this is a must see for even the remotest fan.
--Ryan
Sin City (2005)
Directors: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino (Guest Director)
Producers: Elizabeth Avellan, Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez, Andrew Rona, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Brad Weston
Writers: Frank Miller
Features: MPAA: Rated R for sustained strong stylized violence, nudity and sexual content including dialogue. Runtime: 124 minutes
Characters:
Hartigan...Bruce Willis
Marv...Mickey Rourke
Nancy Callahan...Jessica Alba
Dwight...Clive Owen
Roark Jr./Yellow Bastard...Nick Stahl
Senator Roark...Powers Boothe
Cardinal Roark...Rutger Hauer
Kevin...Elijah Wood
Gail...Rosario Dawson
Jackie Boy...Benicio Del Toro
Goldie/Wendy...Jaime King
Miho...Devon Aoki
Shellie...Brittany Murphy
Manute...Michael Clarke Duncan
Lucille...Carla Gugino
Genre: Drama
Review:
Walk down the right back alley in Sin City and you can find anything.
Whenever a new genre of the cinema becomes popular it is usually because a rather good film has spawned its birth. Jaws, Psycho, and many other greats had numerous films inspired by them aside from their many sequels. Such films spark the interest of the public and thus the producers in Hollywood start churning out similar products which, unfortunately, are of a far lower caliber.
With comic books it was Spiderman and X-Men which lead the new charge into the genre of comic and graphic-novel films. Because of this we had such travesties as The Punisher which followed, among countless others.
Sin City, however, has not followed this suit. In fact, it is so good that it may well have started its own, new genre--or at least redefined what comic book films are, or perhaps should be.
The film is a collection of stories which follow specific characters, one after another. Around mid point, we start following the characters backwards in order. This bridges the gaps in the story and ties this city of sin together in a somewhat limited, yet fascinating, glimpse of all it has to offer.
From a villainous and cannibalistic Elijah Wood (who would ever have thought?), to a slimy, corrupted cop Benicio Del Toro and finally, Nick Stahl as a yellowed (literally), deformed, sadistic child-rapist. This film has something for the dark side in all of us. But through it all there is a thread of hope carrying our deformed and aged heroes through the poetic nightmare which is Sin City.
Because of its episodic plot structure the film may seem to have some pacing problems. Clive Owen’s story perhaps goes on a bit too long, especially when compared to the others. But does this beg the question that pacing is not an ingrained sense within today’s audience? I think perhaps so. Whether intentionally or not this film not only harkens back to film noir, but also to the pacing of some older classics which have a feeling of dragging along at times whose episodic structures are not all balanced. Something like Tales of Manhattan might fall along these lines.
The story I’m talking about involves Del Toro’s introductory scene and includes, whom I feel to be, the only weak member of the cast – Brittany Murphy. While she fits the part in certain ways, her trite and bubbly desperation makes her one of the most annoying actresses audiences are forced to suffer these days. She is one of those actresses who, at least, appears to have had no training whatsoever. She is always playing Brittany Murphy, and she sticks out like a sore thumb.
It is perhaps her presence and not the rest of this sequence that rusts the core of this scene. This is probably the most important female role in the film, definitely the one that requires the most from the actress. And because of Murphy’s rough performance--a scene that would have been great is made less so.
The scene is still carried strongly by Del Toro’s relentless madness and insane charm, but the pacing is affected here. This is not an entirely bad thing. Aside from Murphy, this scene provides pause, a beat, in the film that lets things settle and then allows us to move on.
Though it is the second film to utilize Kerry Conran’s blue screen technology and graphic style (first seen in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow), Sin City has gone so far beyond its predecessor that the mere use of the technology is the only comparison which might be drawn between the two.
Sin City merges the style of comic books with this new technique and resurrects a heap-load of film noir in a merger which works beautifully. The characters are deep and the actors who play them (with the sole exception of Brittany Murphy) are flawless. The writing is perfect, incorporating just the right amount of ham and melodrama with the seriousness and raw drama that was so entertaining and characteristic of classic detective films.
Robert Rodriguez’s direction leads the film masterfully in most what is probably his finest achievement yet. Frank Miller is given partial director credit for the overwhelming impact the style of his comics had on the film, and while not having read them myself, the grapevine agrees that the film matches the style and mood of the original books. The through line of this film, however, is controlled with a sure and steady hand and the cohesiveness of the production is obviously successful. Though not always triumphant with his films, Rodriguez’s efforts have produced a winner this time, merging multiple stories into a coherent whole.
Tarantino also lends his direction to one scene (I had guessed it to be the opening scene, but was mistaken). His touch is hard to miss, but slightly unnecessary in this film, though any distraction is eased by the episodic structure.
Aside from a few puzzling moments mentioned above, the film is brilliant - destined to be one of the best films this year and probably one of the most memorable of the decade. This is a heavy film however, and not for the young...or those of a frail constitution. The film’s grim violence is harsh but quite fitting and viscerally entertaining.
Sin City is, by far, the best “comic book” film I’ve ever seen. It will hopefully lead us on a new road of similar films using beautiful technical work, masterful writing and accomplished acting. With some luck, the bar of the average blockbuster will be raised to the level of this feature.
*Film Scorecard*
As entertainment: * * * *
As a film: * * * *
Overall: * * * *
----Ryan