SIN CITY (2005)
by Bill Clark
http://www.fromthebalcony.com
bill@fromthebalcony.com
RATING (Ripe or Rotten): RIPE
URL: http://www.fromthebalcony.com/sincitybill.htm
QUOTE: "They don't call it Sin City for nothing."
Sin City is a cornucopia of violence, grit, and attitude. Many will
feel unclean after viewing the film's stylized and hypnotic ballets of
gruesomeness. They don't call it Sin City for nothing.
Writer/director Robert Rodriguez has been lobbying to get author Frank
Miller's graphic novel stories to the big screen for several years, and
any doubters who thought he wasn't up for the job are proven wrong in
the film's glorious opening sequence. Rodriguez has always been a
prodigy of sorts when it comes to hyperactive violence onscreen. His
"Desperado" may be remembered by many only for its choreographed
gunplay. He's a man who's always wanted to push the limits of style and
look in film, and in Sin City we may be witnessing him at the pinnacle
of his stylized eye.
Rodriguez also adapts the screenplay, and there are plenty of juicy
one-liners for those who want to walk out with quotes. His mixture of
current social themes with layers of true film noir dialogue is
endlessly fascinating to listen to. Rodriguez clearly understands the
source material.
The film "Sin City" consists of three separate stories that all
intertwine in some way. In one tale Bruce Willis plays Hartigan, a cop
with a bum ticker who is on the trail of a child rapist played by Nick
Stahl. In another yarn we have Marv (Rourke), an oversized Hulk who is
out to avenge the murder of the one woman he has truly loved - a
prostitute named Goldie (Jaime King). In yet another story Clive Owen
is Dwight, the love interest of barmaid Shelley (Brittany Murphy). He
spends most of his nights trying to keep Jackie Boy (Del Toro), a
corrupt cop, away from her and a gang of women that no guy would want
to get mixed up with, despite their stunning looks. How the stories
mesh is for you, the viewer, to discover, but all are compelling with
Marv's story being the true highlight of the film.
What most viewers will take away from Sin City is what it accomplishes
on a technical level, which is nothing short of spectacular. Filmed in
black and white (which is particularly socially unacceptable these
days) with specific character traits appearing in bold color, Sin City
has a look unlike anything I've ever seen before. Obviously props go to
the underappreciated film noir genre of the early part of the 1900's,
but Rodriguez ups the ante by seamlessly merging his characters with
special effects via blue screens. The final product is jaw-dropping,
and all the more because the film still manages to hold a distinct
comic book tone.
The all-star cast is fantastic, with Mickey Rourke stealing the show as
Marv, a mutant of sorts who knows how to get people to talk. Rourke
gives the character a human sensibility that makes the audience root
for him, even though his acts of violence are beyond reproach. Benicio
Del Toro, who is almost unrecognizable here, also makes a strong
impression as the despicable Rafferty. He plays the most hateable
character in the movie, but is also given some truly priceless scenes
of pitch black comedy. Bruce Willis does his schtick as a rough cop,
and in some inspired casting Elijah Wood turns up the creep-o-meter as
a mute cannibal. Clive Owen is also worth noting as a true old school
revenge-getter. The rest of this fabulous A-list cast all make solid
impressions.
No discussion of Sin City is complete without mention of its
uber-violence, and I can safely say that everything you've heard is
true. This is one hell of a violent movie, and it really came full
circle when two couples in front of me left before the thirty minute
mark. We have decapitations, dismemberments, and a particular penchant
for harming male genitalia. It's all done in an over-the-top Kill
Bill-style manner, but it is for sure not for the faint of heart. I'll
let this serve as my disclaimer for the hearty recommendation I give
the film.
Sin City is the first great film of 2005, and for the first time in a
long time I am actually wishing for that Rodriguez and co. feed us more
stories down the line with a sequel or follow-up. With a groundbreaking
style, glorious visuals, top-drawer acting, and just flat-out balls,
Sin City is a film well worth seeing if you have a strong stomach.
web: http://www.fromthebalcony.com
email: bill@fromthebalcony.com
Copyright 2005 FromTheBalcony
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