Cinematic Hell 101.

Rating: Null/10 (5 April 2005)

Sickening and stressful mess uses that "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" technology to get its shocking points across. Four stories intertwine and twist together in an otherworldly metropolis known as Basin City. An old washed up detective (Bruce Willis) tries to stop a child molester (Nick Stahl) who happens to be the son of a high up government official (Powers Boothe). Stahl has kidnapped a young girl (Makenzie Vega), with Willis and shady partner Michael Madsen hot on his trail. Two-time felon Mickey Rourke wakes up one night and finds his lover (Jaime King) dead. He vows revenge and learns of horrific events just outside the city's landscape as quiet psychopath Elijah Wood and Catholic cardinal Rutger Hauer are going around and indulging in cannibalism with helpless prostitutes as their victims. Rourke, along with lesbian parole officer Carla Gugino and King's twin sister (King again), go on a disturbing journey to stop the deviant duo. But will they become victims themselves in the process? On another side of town a bar-room waitress (Brittany Murphy) is having a love affair with the enigmatic Clive Owen to the dismay of abusive boyfriend Benicio Del Toro. Del Toro is a rough customer who has his own entourage of thugs. Soon the friction between Owen and Del Toro drifts into a dark part of the city where a gang of prostitutes (led by Rosario Dawson, the meek Alexis Bledel and ninja Devon Aoki) rule their territory with violent street justice. Del Toro has a secret though and eventually a war with underground criminals (led by Michael Clarke Duncan) seems imminent for all concerned. As all these stories transpire, a beautiful stripper (Jessica Alba) pops up again and again. How does the ultra-hot Alba fit in to the complicated puzzle? These three tales are bookended by yet another side-story of a quiet assassin (Josh Hartnett) who always seems to be around beautiful women. "Sin City" starts off as a nightmare and does not let up until its finale. Based on Frank Miller's graphic novels from a few years back, the series of stories was never really more than glorified comic books for underground groups. Miller, (who co-directed with Hollywood maverick Robert Rodriguez), has a jumble of ideas running through his over-active head. Some look at his concepts as edgy and innovative, but to me they are just sick and silly. Most American junior high students could come up with similar ideas and their ability to translate those ideas to celluloid form would likely be as good as this (not a compliment). A real study in watching hot women, ugly characters, stupid stories, and charnel house violence. "Sin City" is not a place you would want to live and it is definitely not a place you should ever visit. Nothing to recommend. Turkey (0 stars out of 5).