A treat for newcomers and fans alike

Rating: 9/10 (1 April 2005)

Firstly, let me say that if you aren't familiar with Sin City, make sure you can stomach violence. A lot of it.
Miller and Rodriguez's creation boasts plenty of it, all deftly green-screen shot and painted with stark blacks and whites, save the odd splash of color. Many of the notable actors featured in the film boast prosthetic makeup, surprising costumes, or simply no dialog for their characters.
Does this mean you won't enjoy the movie? Hell no. Sin City, as a film, is comprised of three story-arcs from the comic series of the same name. The three stories are presented non-linearly (think Pulp Fiction) and bleed into each other at the edges, providing what may be a jarring narrative for newcomers, but one that ultimately makes sense.
Look past the bloodshed of each one, and you'll find that each story's core is a romance. THe characters speak in larger-than-life dialog, with Miller's writing more deft than most in the business today. There is no traditional "good guy" in Sin City, but the villains levels of depravity make the crimes of the "heroes" seem insubstantial.
Elmore Leonard's "Payback" is a wonderful example of this on two levels. Firstly, the inner monologue of the protagonist provides a method, a reasoning for the actions that drive them. And secondly, when all the pieces have fallen into place, you find yourself genuinely rooting for the "heroes" in the face of their injustices.
While longtime fans of the comics will notice several things that are slightly changed (primarily in That Yellow Bastard) the film as a whole is, to date, the most successful direct translation of a comic i've seen, as well as one of the most enjoyable. So get a babysitter for the kids and go wallow in some Sin.