Back alley pot boiler!

Rating: 10/10 (3 April 2005)

Damn, if SIN CITY doesn't look like SIN CITY! - the movie like the book that is. I haven't been as big a fan of Frank Miller's art as much as his writing, but I oddly hoped that the film would capture the look of the comics, and in that regard it triumphs. Marv and Bratigan are big and blocky, Shellie and Nancy are curvy and angular, and the city itself becomes a character, especially on those rain driven nights when a comic book splash page takes on new meaning in a driving rain storm.
And it's not just the black and white noir-ishness of the film; this movie's black and white POPS!, along with the surreal color splashes added for nuance and contrast. The eye goes where it must, whether the fire engine red of Goldie's dress or the sickening hue of "That Yellow Bastard".
Kudos to Director Robert Rodriguez for defying convention and resigning from the Director's Guild when threatened over Frank Miller's inclusion as Co-Director, and Quentin Tarantino's contribution as a guest director. Movie making can use more of this type of creativity. Ultimately quality speaks.
Every once in awhile a film comes along that breaks new ground and sets the bar for those that follow - SIN CITY is such a film, just as "Star Wars", "Aliens" and "Pulp Fiction" were in their respective genres. And for fans of comic books and graphic novels, this film will be THE one to top, and that won't be for a while, if ever. "Road to Perdition" was a successful transfer of story to screen, "Sin City" is a masterful transformation of the drawn and printed panel come to life. SEE IT!
Added bonus: Frank Miller as the priest hearing confession!!! That was so cool!