Sin City

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.

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.

In Sin City nobody is innocent, not even the Bishop, and they are going to pay for that.

The movie is based, both the story and aesthetics, in the noir comic by Frank Miller, who is also co-director of the film,together with Robert Rodriguez; Quentin Tarantino was invited to direct one of the scenes. The movie intertwines four different stories, whose characters will cross paths at certain point: The Customer Is Always Right, The Hard Goodbye, The Big Fat Kill, and That Yellow Bastard The movie is visually stunning and stylish. It looks and feels like a real noir comic, with camera framing and positioning typical of comic vignettes, as well as the use of high contrast B&W and chiaroscuro. The movie has wonderful black, white and sepia tones with cutout reds and bright colors, a technique widely used in Photography and drawing, but never used in movies before. The movie was completely shot using green backgrounds.

The movie is heart-attack paced, with no a moment of dullness or rest. However, is not for the heart faint, as it is extremely violent and gory, very hard to watch sometimes. The fact that those being punished deserve it, does not make the violence easier to swallow.

The characters are never dull, very human - never good or bad, but both things. Moreover, they are at very melancholic types, funny and merciless.

The movie delights the viewer with terrific performances by a large group of A-listed actors. However, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Benicio Del Toro, Clive Owen and Rosario Dawson really shine through. Jessica Alba and Elija Wood, who are usually a bore, are terrific in their respective roles, too.

The best comic adaptation I have ever seen.

Entertainment and quality together. Brilliant

I watched the 'Unrated, Recut and Extended' version of the movie, which is pretty different from the theatrical version of the film (which I've also watched). It's really a 'superhero movie' like those DC/Marvel movies in disguise... these people have super powers, but it isn't explicitly stated. The movie was also breathed-upon by Quentin Tarantino and it totally shows... this is a very 'Quentin Tarantino-esque' movie. It's filled with action, though there's a good amount of drama and story/plot mixed in so that you don't get numb to the bombardment of constant action. Each of the characters are heavily unique yet extremely stereotypically portrayed (for good reason). Overall it's a good film and eventhough this type of movie will only appeal to a small percentage of general audiences, I would recommend that you watch it at least once if you're not certain, as it is really a pretty good movie, especially given the unique artistic choice with the dark art style.

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.