★ 9 / 10
Visceral, Visionary, Visual, Sin City kicks the big
John Chard
Visceral, Visionary, Visual, Sin City kicks the big un! Three grizzled stories from Basin City comprise the basis for Robert Rodriguez's adaptation of Frank…
Visceral, Visionary, Visual, Sin City kicks the big un!
Three grizzled stories from Basin City comprise the basis for Robert Rodriguez's adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novels (Miller along for co-directing duties as well). Man mountain Marv is out to avenge a murdered hooker, Dwight attempts to help the red light girls stay independent from the mob, and aging cop Hartigan is trying to protect a beautiful dancer from a sadistic pervert.
I think the first thing I should say is that I have no frame of reference as regards the adaptation here, I have never read (or seen) a Frank Miller story, but from what I can gather from the IMDb site is that fans of Miller's graphic stories were well pleased with the final result. I'm pleased to see that, because too many times comic book adaptations are roundly panned by the hard core fan base of each respective franchise for not being close to the spirit of the source, so here I'm doubly relieved mainly because I find Sin City to be a majestic assault on the senses.
Sin City is a stark place, full of seedy residents thriving on misery and mistrust, and here we are privy to three stories that only serve to remind us that we don't want to be anywhere near the place. Playing out as some sort of horror comic noir, Sin City is for sure a very violent picture, yet the violence is formed so perfectly in its style, it cloaks the film in artistic class. Once viewed, Sin City is never forgotten, and I for one literally do tip my hat towards Frank Miller & Robert Rodriguez for bringing such a great and interesting movie to the masses. All of the cast do great work, so I'll not single anyone out for praise, the techniques and the whole structure of the piece is quite simply marvellous, and as for the writing? Well get a load of it!
Sin City, a dark horrible place, Sin City, a wonderful wonderful movie. 9/10
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★ 9 / 10
Visually striking and memorable. Dark fun.
squirrel_burst
"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…
"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)
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Cannot find the theatrical version anywhere. Bummer. This extended version is nice, but I miss the theatrical.