are you ready to sin?

Rating: 9/10 (2 October 2005)

I can now tell you that the most eagerly awaited comic book adaptation is mind-blowing. Straight from the page into live action that's virtually frame for frame, this film simply oozes uber violence and comic style. It is filmed in black and white like early gangster noir movies of the fifties but with the violence and action turned up to eleven. This way it makes the city bleak and menacing and reflects the dark brooding nature of the characters. Hustlers, pimps, prostitutes, murderers, rapists, bent cops, every low life is here, the real underbelly of this rotten city. As each scene plays out there are flashes of colour, pill containers, headlights, fireballs and blood. The impact is similar to the little girls red dress in 'Shindler's list' except here the meanings are distorted to show the evils lurking in every corner of not just the characters psyche but also the city itself. The violence here is brutal but because it's based on a graphic novel the way it is portrayed has elements of humour, very tongue in cheek or should I say gun through head. Told in three stories under the watchful eye of the creator Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez directs the action and really brings the novels to life. With a who's who of Hollywood making this a cast to die for and a day of guest directing from Quentin Tarantino (he just wanted to be involved in the project, his fee for one day directing was $1) you will need to go a long way to find another film this year so different in attitude and style. Sin City has raised the stakes in terms of comic book adaptations; bleak and stylised, darkly interesting with frenzied fantasy violence, I'm afraid Spiderman will never look the same again.
Roll on sin city 2 and 3, that's all can say.