Wicked, brutal fun!

Rating: 10/10 (2 April 2005)

Sin City is without a doubt the single most loyal comic book adaptation ever filmed, a distinction previously held by The Rocketeer. How did such a loyal adaptation come out of the notoriously fickle and haphazard Hollywood movie machine? Easy...it didn't. Director Robert Rodriguez shot the film independent of Hollywood influence, securing the financing on his own and shooting the film his own way. Sin City also has the benefit of direct, hands-on involvement by series creator Frank Miller, who actually co-directed the film alongside Rodriguez (a move that cost Rodriguez his membership in the Director's Guild and his next scheduled job at Paramount). The original Sin City graphic novels were used as storyboards for the film, with Miller drawing some new bits to make sure the storyboards were as complete as possible. The entire film is shot digitally in front of a green screen, allowing the filmmakers to create the locations and car chases using CGI, which maintains the comics' surreal flair. These factors combine with a stellar cast to make an incredibly peculiar movie, but a great one nonetheless.
Adapted from three of the Sin City graphic novels (and one of the numerous short stories Miller has produced over the years), the storyline is actually quite simple--the various tarnished champions of this "town without pity" find themselves in conflict with the power brokers of their extremely corrupt city, and violence ensues--but its non-linear storytelling sets it apart from the typical revenge play. Each story in Sin City has some connection to the others, adding the dimension of an Easter egg hunt to the proceedings as the audience figures out just what takes place when. There is quite a bit of repetition, both thematic and situational, but said repetition is obviously intentional, driving home the sheer brutality of the film's titular setting.
The cast is sheer genius, from the smallest parts to the leads. Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Benicio del Toro, Clive Owen, Rosario Dawson, and a dozen more avowed fans of the original comics literally bring Miller's characters to life, warts and all, for better or for worse. The performances are over-blown in the classic film noir model, creating an atmosphere that is in no way realistic...but realism isn't Sin City's goal. This is crime fiction gone off the deep end, and it's a riot. You see, here's the thing about Sin City: it's an absurdly overwrought, unapologetically brutal riff on the pulp fiction of a bygone era, and it's incredibly over-the-top...maybe even "hammy." In fact, despite its violence (which is extreme and pervasive) and its sex (handled with much more restraint than the violence, although there is quite a bit of nudity), Sin City is positively hilarious...provided you come into it knowing what the movie is supposed to be. Luckily, the cast and filmmakers are obviously very aware of what made the original comics such a guilty pleasure in the first place.
In short, if you like the Sin City comics, Sin City the movie will not disappoint. If you don't like the comics, you won't like the movie.
It doesn't get much simpler than that, really...