Same old stuff wrapped up in a new package

Rating: Null/10 (4 April 2005)

Sin City is Frank Miller's "Sin City" comic book brought to life by the directorial magic of Robert Rodriguez with the able assistance of co-director Frank Miller and special guest director Quentin Tarantino.
Packed with hot young Hollywood talent (Rosario Dawson, Jessica Alba, Brittany Murphy) and cagey old acting vets (Bruce Willis, Rutger Hauer, Mickey Rourke) the movie is a technical and visual tour de force that has been described as the best adaption of a comic book to grace the silver screen. And actually, it is... the movie is a living comic book from the dialogue to the look of the characters to the camera-work. "Sin City" is also shot mainly in black and white, adding considerably to the feel and the atmosphere of the movie, which is best described as grim, gritty, violent, sadistic and slightly misogynistic.
And it's this atmosphere that causes me to question "Sin City". It's no accident that Tarantino is associated with this project since "Sin City" and the comic book its based on are the children of the pulp movie genre which Tarantino popularized with "Reservoir Dogs", "Pulp Fiction" and the "Kill Bill" series. And this leads me to ask: how much sadistic violence is enough? I like flying body parts and savage beatings as much as the next film-goer but I'm starting to get tired of it because every new "edgy" "pulpy" "gritty" movie now has the same elements. The shocking graphic violence, the tough guy characters and the hard boiled dialogue which once was fresh and new has been reduced to worn out clichés.
Not to mention the misogyny running through "Sin City". In one scene the movie shows a wall full of chopped off women's heads displayed as trophies. Sure, it can be viewed as part of the story but what exactly are the filmmakers trying to say? What purpose does the scene serve? Its just shock for the sake of shock. Also, the women in the movie are depicted as whores, strippers, or helpless victims. Again, its part of the movie world but what point are the directors trying to make?
Perhaps I'm jaded, but having watched more than a few of these types of movies I'm now waiting for a director to take the Tarantino formula into a new direction. With "Sin City" the genre has completely been played out, there's nothing new story wise and we're treated to variations of the same old characters we've seen before. Ultimately, the only distinguishing feature of "Sin City" is the visual style of the movie. Is it enough? Maybe, but not to me. It would be cool to see something new in terms of character development or story once in awhile.