A journey through the naked city of human depravity

Rating: Null/10 (11 April 2005)

If nothing else, Robert Rodriguez is probably one of the most unpredictable filmmakers of this era. The explosive, hardhitting action of "El Mariachi" and "From Dusk Till Dawn" sharply contrast with the bright and colorful "Spy Kids" trilogy. He's found his niche within the film-making community, yet continues to pull some unexpected rabbits out of his exceptional bag of tricks.
As a particular fan of the gritty, hard-boiled "film noir" genre, I was on pins and needles after watching the highly kinetic trailer for "Sin City," the newest entry in Rodriguez's canon. Filmed with high definition cameras and using ultra-expensive CGI in just about every shot, Rodriguez has successfully reinvented not only his own film-making style ... but he also trodden upon a new era in feature film history.
Blending three stories from Frank Miller's pulpy Sin City comic books, Rodriguez and an all-star cast lead us down inside the murky depths of human depravity ... where revenge and redemption are mostly synonymous. We're introduced to Marv, a brutal ex-convict who's found a new lease on life: avenging the murder of a very beautiful, but dead hooker that showed him a modicum of kindness. Marv twists, gouges and impales the truth out of anyone remotely connected to her.
We meet Dwight and a legion of gun-wielding prostitutes ... all of whom act as judge, jury and executioners of "Old Town," a part of Sin City with the kind of brutal lawlessness not seen since the days of the American Frontier.
Finally we're treated to the story of Hartigan, a cop out to prove to himself that his life has some glimmer of value. He protects a girl from the gnarled clutches of a pedophile whose appearance could have been lifted straight off of Chester Gould's Dick Tracy rouges gallery.
I wasn't trendy enough to have read the Frank Miller books when they first premiered, but I've since checked a couple of them out from my local public library and found them quite refreshing. Rodriguez, who is apparently a fervent fanatic of Miller's material, deviates not one inch from these books. The writing, direction and acting were spot on, which has doubtless thrilled a legion of fans.
What I loved the most about "Sin City" was its respect for the history of pulp novels and the dark, gritty film noir of the 1940s and 50s. If pulp-masters Dashiell Hammet and Mickey Spillane were still writing fiction today, their work would doubtless resemble the desperate, beguiling atmosphere Rodriguez creates for us in this film. During some moments, I felt that the actual city is not just a setting, but a state of mind that crashes and burns through the screen. It was impressive and I was left hungry for more. Several scenes reminded me of the covers of old pulp magazines like "Black Mask" and "Weird Stories."
I was also reminded several times of John Boorman's neo-noir film, "Point Blank." Starring Lee Marvin and Angie Dickenson, "Point Blank" is about a hard-boiled thief cheated out of his cut from a heist. The story of the cold-blooded revenge he inflicts on those responsible could have seamlessly been incorporated in "Sin City." One has to wonder if Miller drew any inspiration from the film (or the books in which it was based on by Richard Stark AKA Donald Westlake) when writing and drawing Sin City.
Though I wouldn't venture to call "Sin City" brilliant, there are tiny flourishes of brilliance throughout that will invariably leave deep teeth marks all over popular culture for several years to come. I'd love to see a sequel to this film, as there are several stories from Miller's book that would make beautiful translation into film.