Amazing Characters!

Rating: 8/10 (26 April 2005)

I thought Sin City was bloody good. It reveled in darkness and sadism, sometimes too much, the heroes were impossibly hardy, it was misogynist, and the noir style got tiring. However, easily trumping those quibbles were the facts that it was thrilling, shocking and incredibly cool looking. The greatest thing about this movie, though, was the characters! Just look at this partial lineup (in no particular order):
Marv -- He's a big lug who can suck up wounds like crazy, spit blood, and quip, "Is that all you got?" This guy is the closest thing the movie has to a traditional "superhero" type. His powers are tremendous strength, near invulnerability, high agility, the ability to slip out of bonds, and of course a knack for scaring people with his ugly mug. On a morals level, he's no Clark Kent -- he's all about the end justifying the means. Any means, including merciless torture and murder. But the poor guy is so pathetic that a prostitute sleeping with him gives his life purpose; you can hardly help caring for him.
Kevin -- What is this kid's story? He's a depraved, mute cannibal with razor-like fingernails and preternatural quickness and stealth capability who enjoys reading his Bible, yes, we get that, but where did he come from? I'd love to see a whole movie about how he became what he was.
Nancy -- Such a sweetheart! However, with her, the film misses a chance at an even better characterization. She was set up to be the inspiration for Hartigan's redemption, so she should have remained unsullied. Instead, she grew up to be an exotic dancer in a sleazy bar. Her career choice clashed harshly with the wide-eyed innocence, the trusting nature, the naiveté central to what the plot needed her for. Somehow her character still worked pretty well, though.
Gail -- Would she really have killed Dwight if he had not negotiated his way out of it during their confrontation over how to proceed with Jackie Boy's body? Was she in love with him, or in love with the fantasy of being in love? Surely being a prostitute honed her skill so she could have made Dwight believe what she wanted him to believe. I think her true loyalty was to the women under her direction, and that she was using Dwight's genuine love for her merely to manipulate him into helping them.
Cardinal Roark -- Did he have a homosexual relationship with Kevin, or did he really believe the pseudo-spiritual nonsense about eating peoples' souls? Probably both. He seemed the type who thought himself not only above man's law, but above God's law too.
Yellow Bastard -- What an unrepentant, no-conscience sack of pure, petty evil! I must give the movie kudos for daring to highlight a character who is a sadistic, murdering pedophile and getting away with only an R rating.
I give this movie 8 out of 10.