Sin City (2005) Review- Is It Still Worth It, 15 Years Later?

Rating: 8/10 (12 March 2019)

Nearly 15 years have passed since the release of the Sin City film. In this lengthy review we will analyse the film, and answer the following questions: A). "Is it a good movie overall?" B). "Is it worth watching anyway?" And C). "Has it aged well?"... Let's Begin, without spoiling much.
The film consists of three major segments. It follows a non-linear storytelling style, which is almost reminiscent of Tarantino films. The first segment follows the story of Hartigan, a cop one day away from retirement, who saves a little girl from a perverted psychopath who happens to come from the state's most powerful family, and in return gets framed and falsely accused of numerous crimes he didn't commit. Eight years later he is released, and a mysterious figure hunts him and the now-young woman he once saved for unknown reasons.
The second segment is pretty much the main story of this film. It follows the story of Marv, a hulking tough guy with some serious issues, who wakes up one night after sleeping with a gorgeous woman to find her lying next to him dead and himself instantly framed for the murder. In the middle of a large conspiracy, confused and angry, Marv starts killing his way to the truth.
The third segment takes place after the previous two and follows the story of Dwight, a man who attempts to aid the working girls of Old Town in hiding the body of a cop they mistakenly killed, in order to avoid sparking a war between the girls and the police. But as it seems, there are more people involved as well.
And now, the verdict.
1). Let's start with the story and script. As someone who has also read the graphic novels, I say this: The books are far superior to the film. But the film is an insanely loyal adaptation. The stories are gripping, interesting and the narration describing each character's thoughts is great. The dialogues are lifted almost word-for-word from the comics, and they are brilliant even though at times corny and due to the film's style the actors delivering them might feel bland or apathetic. 8/10
2). The Heroes.
The main characters are not exactly heroic, except for Hartigan of course. Dwight is deep down a white knight but also a dirty criminal with questionable ethics, and a very troubled mind. Marv has some good inside him but he's mentally ill. Definitely. They all get fleshed out well, and we come to like each one in their own story. 9,5/10
3). The Villains.
The villains in Sin City are weird. And mostly just crooked rich brats who screw over the protagonists. Some shine, some don't. The writing on Frank Miller's part is really good but it could've been slightly deeper. 7/10
4). The Visuals and the Directing.
As far as directing goes, Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller did a fantastic job. Pure genius. If the film is paused at any moment, it feels like a comic book panel. That's why the characters move and behave like they do. At times though it feels more cartoony than the comics. The visuals are great too, although based on today's standards some may seem outdated. The film isn't entirely black-and-white, as some scenes feature dim, desaturated colors, which I found to be in poor taste. What's nice though is that some things purposefully maintained colorful, like blood, or a red dress, etc etc. 8/10
-So let's answer the questions.-
Q: Is it a good movie overall?
A: "Good" is subjective. It's all taste, really. But it's really well made and stylized and the directing as well as the writing are okay if you like this type of film. Though the cartoony manner in which many things happen in the film, such as the action and the violence, may make it hard for the viewer to take the film seriously.
Q: Is it worth watching anyway?
A: If you're not easily brought down by dark and depressing themes, if you're not offended by certain abbreviations, nudity and profanity, and if you have a strong stomach, I definitely recommend checking it out at some point.
Q: Has it aged well?
A: Some moments will look laughably bad today, some others may feel like a really good cutscene from a PS3 game. But it's still watchable, and highly enjoyable. Today's standards are very low when it comes to anything other than visuals, and this film exceeds them.
8/10