Ultra-Violent, Weird, But Still a Great Experience!

Rating: 9/10 (30 July 2006)

In general, I utterly dislike films containing too much violence. The "Tarantino school", as I call it, is for me a cheap way to try to catch the viewer's attention by using unnecessary and disgusting gory scenes. In the same way that other directors try to draw our interest by using nude or sexy scenes (these at least are much more enjoyable to watch!), the "Tarantino school" tries to make its point by bombarding us with ever more blood: Unfortunately, as far as I am concerned, the end result is usually to become fed up and stop watching, just like I recently did with "Kill Bill".
And yet, "Sin City" was different: Although ultra-violent (a typical scene for example shows Mickey Rourke chainsawing somebody's hands and feet and then giving the rest of the body to a wolf which rips it off!), it still manages to convince us that this raw violence is a vital part of the nature of this generally eccentric film, and not an addition put in just to catch our attention. "Sin City" is the adaptation of a violent comic on screen, and as such, violence comes naturally in the flow of the movie.
A movie which is weird, so to say: As I said, it is an adaptation of a comic (which I haven't read, by the way) on-screen, and as such, it is something between a comic and a film, or both. With its black-and-white footage, containing colorful objects in several instances (red blood, green eyes, yellow person, etc.) thus making them much more distinct and powerful, "Sin City" is a different experience to watch. Diefferent and great, thanks to Miller's and Rodriguez's great work! Although it features many A-class names, such as Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Rutger Hauer, and others, acting is of lesser importance here: We are not interested so much in the characters and their performances, but in the overall magic atmosphere. This does not mean that the "Sin City" actors are doing their job well: On the contrary, their performances are fine. It is simply that the focus is elsewhere...
"Sin City" is film that should not be watched with a full stomach, as it will take you for a tough ride. And yet, do not miss this ride! 9/10.