Powerful & ruthless neo-noir style!

Rating: 9/10 (7 April 2006)

"Sin City" are a well-known series of comic books written & illustrated by the legendary Frank Miller. Set in a fictitious rotten city named Basin, Miller tells several stories about life and death in the criminal world of Basin, lovely nicknamed "Sin City". Just like his masterpiece "The Dark Knight Returns", Miller's style is harsh and violent, but not without a good dose of dark humor that fits perfectly the black and white film noir style of his stories.
Like the comic books, "Sin City" is a collection of neo-noir tales but what sets the movie apart from other comic-book adaptations, is the fact that director Robert Rodriguez used the books as storyboard and literally shot everything Frank Miller had conceived. As a result, the movie is a literal adaptation of the stories, without changes or additions, staying so true to Miller's writing and drawings that Rodriguez considered him basically another director.
Three stories and a short-tale are told in this beautifully photographed movie. "The Customer is Always Right" presents Josh Harnett in a short tale perfect to introduce us to the brutal world of Basin City; Bruce Willis plays honest cop John Hartigan chasing a sadistic pedophile in "That Yellow Bastard", while Mickey Rourke gives the performance of his life as a tough criminal looking for vengeance in "The Hard Good-Bye". "The Big Fat Kill" is the closing story narrating the desperate effort of Dwight (Clive Owen) to stop a war between gangs.
Taking the conventions of film noir to the extreme, the duo of Rodriguez and Miller crafted a thrilling roller-coaster that never loses steam. Miller's dialogs and design are translated perfectly by Rodriguez and his camera-work. Rodriguez makes great use of digital effects to create a flashy black & white world that at times has some color. Just like Basin City's criminal life. However, despite the script and the camera-work, the movie would not be the same without the performance of the star-filled cast.
Bruce Willis is superb as the aging John Hartigan, who tries to make justice in a town forgotten by God. Jessica Alba shares the screen with Willis and is irremediably overshadowed by his performance. Willis proves that he is more than an action film star. A lot has been said about Mickey Rourke's performance, so I'll just add that this is the role he will be remembered for, as he completely absorbs the character of Marv and makes him truly believable.
Clive Owen as Dwight may not be perfect, but he still gives a worthy performance and carries his segment with grace. However, it is worth to notice Benicio Del Toro's acting, practically stealing every scene he appears. Michael Madsen, Elijah Wood and Rutger Hauer are only some of the many talents involved in this movie in supporting roles. Among them Devon Aoki shines as the mute Miho, projecting a strong presence without saying any word.
At first sight "Sin City" may look like another violent action fest, but this movie truly is more than that. With well developed stories, great acting by the cast and an original neo-noir visual style, this movie excels in every artistic department and is destined to be considered a classic in the future. Not only fans of Miller's comic books will enjoy it, it is definitely a must-see. 9/10