too long but entertaining just the same

Rating: Null/10 (19 April 2005)

Slick, stylish, and ultraviolent comic book adaptation centering around the events escalating in a corrupt city inhabited by an array of hard-edged characters, including a veteran police officer (Willis) who runs afoul of a ruthless senator and his sadistic son; a hardened ex-con (Rourke) out for revenge after his one-night stand with a mysterious woman turns deadly; and a drifter (Owen) who tangles with crooked cops and bounty hunters while passing through a ghetto run by prostitutes. Flamboyantly filmed, with good performances all around and an arresting and vivid atmosphere it certainly packs enough punch to hold your attention, but the overall impact is marred by the film's sheer length. Still, there's plenty of talented actors and enough shock value to make it worth a look. Resembles a comic book version of Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill. ***