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Miller’s graphic novels become Rodriguez’s film noir epic

"Sin City" is a black and white world, except when the blood is being
sprayed around and then be prepared for lots of red or white or even
yellow. Based on three of the first four "Sin City" graphic novels by
Frank Miller ("The Hard Good-Bye," "The Big Fat Kill," and "That Yellow
Bastard") and "The Customer Is Always Right" short-story from "Babe
Wore Red" that was the test run for this project, this 2005 film sets
the standard for what film noir will be in the 21st century and
advances the cause of digital filmmaker even more than "Sky Captain and
the World of Tomorrow." That film was pure eye candy, but "Sin City" is
much too gritty to be that sweet. You are going to wince at some of
what happens in this film and you might even turn away once or twice as
the over the top violence hits you in the gut as hard as it hits some
of the characters in the side of the head. But chances are you are
going to love this movie to death.

Frank Miller’s "Sin City" is a world where the heroes can take a
whole series of punches as well as deliver them, where justice has
nothing to do with either mercy or the cops, and the system is crooked
from top down to pretty near the bottom of the barrel. The dames are
still worth dying for and some of them might even be goddesses, but
others can defend themselves quite well, thank you. This is a world
where protecting women is hard-wired into the psyches of guys like John
Hartigan (Bruce Willis), Marv (Mickey Rourke), and Dwight (Clive Owen).
If you fail to protect a dame, then somebody has to pay and in a way
that will make the scum bucket think Hell is heaven when you finally
let them go there. This movie is rated R for sustained strong stylized
violence, nudity and sexual content including dialogue, but that is an
R that is a lot closer to NC-17 than it is to PG-13.

Ang Lee tried to have parts of "The Hulk" look like a comic book,
but that meant throwing several frames on the screen at the same time.
But with "Sin City" director Robert Rodriguez knows that a comic book
panel can be like a frame in a motion picture and visa-versa, so his
solution was to embrace Miller’s visual style and make him the
co-director of the film (and give him a small role as a priest hearing
his final confession). The "Sin City" were done largely in black and
white, although sometimes white and black, and other times when the
strategic addition of a single color as in the red of a woman’s lips,
the yellow of her hair, or the blue of her eyes. Sometimes the red is a
cool looking car.

This is the bloodiest film noir of my experience, so it is a good
thing that when there is a lot of blood is it just as likely to appear
as bright white or neon yellow as globs of the red stuff. But it is
also evokes more bursts of laughter at the audacious violence and the
perfectly timed one-liners, most of which will never work uttered in
Dirty Harry fashion out of the context of the film. This is film noir
in the tradition of Mickey Spillane updated for the Quentin Tarantino
generation.

The standout performance in "Sin City" is clearly Mickey Rourke as
Marv, who is buried under so much makeup you keep assuring yourself
that he is really in there somewhere. In keeping with the formula of
the film Marv is both the most violent of the protagonists, giving
taking somebody for a ride a whole new meaning, and the funniest, in
both word and deed. Willis and Owen are both fine as the other two
protagonists, but they are more the strong and silent types, neither as
reflective nor as sardonic as Marv. Willis definitely has the world
weary act honed down to perfection, but Owen seems a bit too mannered
in his detachment in his story line and ends up finishing third in the
hero sweepstakes. Elijah Wood as Kevin does not get to speak but still
creeps you out as Frodo gone over to the Dark Side. Benicio Del Toro
shows some nice comic timing as Jack Rafferty and Michael Madsen has
not changed a bit as Bob, while Nick Stahl is scum of two different
colors. Rutger Hauer, Powers Booth and Michael Clarke Duncan all take
turns playing heavies and it becomes pretty clear Rodriguez could get
just about anybody he wanted to do this movie.

Of the women of "Sin City" it is Devon Aoki as Miho who stands out
although she never says a word (she does not have to). Jessica Alba’s
best moments as Nancy are silent, although there is a change in why
that is the case as we go through the movie. Rosario Dawson has fun
going over the top as Gail, Brittany Murphy goes slumming as Shellie,
and Jaime King plays two sides of the same coin as Goldie and Wendy.
Alexis Bledel is certainly trying to get as far away from Rory Gilmore
as possible by playing Becky, but I am afraid she does not get far in
that regard. Then again, if you have read Miller’s graphic novels you
will be impressed by how Rodriguez has brought the stark black and
white images of Becky, Hartigan, the Yellow Bastard and the rest of
them to life on the screen. This movie is going to make a ton of money,
Miller is going to sell a lot of copies of the new editions of his "Sin
City" graphic novels, and hopefully it will not be too long before we
get the next cinematic installment, which should have Johnny Depp
playing Wallace in the "To Hell and Back" segment. (Reviewed by Lawrence M.Bernabo)

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