Visually, artistically evocative with an engaging storyline.

Rating: 9/10 (2 April 2005)

You will hear that Sin City is violent, bloody, and full of sex - the latter isn't entirely true. What makes the movie excellent is its superb story lines, acting and artistic deliverance to the audience.
Sin City's artistry hearkens back to film noir and dark comic books. Its characters offer a gritty, stylized look that will remind you of Pulp Fiction, without seeming as real.
The movie features several stories whose characters intersect briefly with each other, mostly by passing by each other in a single bar, and moving on with their tales. Each character's portrait is well done, and gives you a solid feel for them. There are some real heroes, good guys in this movie, though several are "anti-heroes" they are the good guys, looking out for others in this rotten, dark city-scape. Bruce Willis' character is the only straight arrow in the bunch.
The violence isn't gratuitous because of the black and white delivery. Some truly graphic scenes of flesh rending are shown with white silhouettes on a black background. The violence is inventive, and many times the audience gasped, laughed, or made other noises. In one scene I found myself laughing out loud with the rest of them.
The movie is truly engaging.
Without giving spoilers, it is something you need to see to understand. The story is deep enough, and the acting good enough, to merit viewing without knowing much else.