A Review of Frank Miller's Sin City

Rating: Null/10 (9 April 2005)

Just recently Frank Miller's noir-inspired brainchild Sin City made its way into US cinema, opening with a bang. While this film clearly takes a bite out of the apple that is comics making its way to film, this film is a clear cut above the rest. I must say, Sin City is the most faithful rendition of work travailing to the big screen among others. The movie is uncharacteristically mature, witty, and human. Sure, bring out the big guns (the cleavage) to spice up the flick, one might say. But amidst the bosom-enriched characters, these characters are not your stereotypical cardboard cutouts; they are alive. Scenes were faithfully lifted out of the three graphic novels, and what you see in the comic books is what you see in the film. As if one reading the thoughts of the main characters in a comic book, the protagonists in the film literally speaks their mindHamlet soliloquies of sorts. Faithfully leaving the mutilation, decapitation, castrations, et cetera, alone in the transition. And this move has worked perfectly. Not to mention the seamless integration of CG, film noir inspiration, A-list acting worthy of Hollywood big names, and pop influences of director Quentin Tarantino.
Sin City is a movie about Basin City and everything in it. Basin city is a place of eternal rain where corruption reeks, where day is night and night is black and white. The mayor is a corrupt politician whose son Rourk Jr. (Stahl; also the Yellow Bastard) is a pedophile. Majority of the cops work hand in hand with criminals, helping each other to eliminate the prostitutes, also one of the more powerful groups. Even the almighty church wields corruption to the fullest; the cardinal being the mayor's brother. And unholy alliances make (or break) the control of power in this god-forsaken dystopia.
The movie features three story lines, clearly Tarantino-inspired: that of Marv (Rourke), (Owen), and Hartigan (Willis). First, Marv is a literal powerhouse whose one true love, Goldie (King), is murdered by an assassin sent by God knows who, and he is bent on seeking revenge. His personal vendetta finally brings him to the assassin (Wood), a cannibal as nimble as a cat and as disturbing as the masked crowd in Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. In the second story, Brittany Murphy plays Dwight's (Owen) girlfriend, who also happens to be Jackie Boy's (del Toro) ex-girlfriend. Jackie Boy is a corrupt cop whose mere presence disrupts the balance of power between the cops, gangs, and the prostitutes; Dwight vows to kill him and is brought to the underground world of his other girlfriend Gail (Dawson) and her band of prostitutes, a force to be reckoned with. While only directing one scene in the entire movie, and the funniest one at that (it's the car scene), we clearly see the influence of Tarantino's Kill Bill character, the Bride, in Aoki's character Miho. Cooler or not, I leave that up to you. The third story focuses on Hartigan. Hartigan vowed to protect Nancy (Alba) from the mayor's pedophile son, who later transforms to become the Yellow Bastard, and a you-take-something-from-me-I-take-something-from-you cat-and-mouse game ensues.
Another reason why the movie is different is because it's in black and white, believe it or not. Well, mostly black and white. They left some elements colored, and with vibrant detail, I may add, such as the red dress in the opening scene, or the red heart shaped bed, or the Yellow Bastard (hence the name Yellow), just like in the comics. CG meshed seamlessly with everything corporeal, like Sky Captain but better. Acting was surprisingly powerful for most of the characters. Rourke portrayed Marv with vigor and enthusiasm, humor and wit, and his character almost reminded me of Hamlet. Well, all three protagonists did, anyway. Owen, for some reason, reminded me of a literal dark knight (not Batman) in messy armor. Willis, while having little chemistry (or lack thereof) with Alba, managed to deliver. And while relegated to the beginning and ending only, Josh Hartnett was cool, for a change.
I always wished that Hollywood does something different for a change. And they did. Wonderfully. This flick is a testament to that.