Good clean violent fun!

Rating: 9/10 (13 May 2005)

With the slew of second rate comic-to-movie adaptations that Marvel has been churning out, it's a wonder more and more people haven't caught on and realized that comic books have their own format that simply can't be translated to movies that well. Luckily director Robert Rodriguez realized that it would be stupid to try and change one of his favorite series of comic books: Frank Miller's "Sin City", in order to bring it to the silver screen. Instead he simply copied Miller's graphic novels down to the exact detail in cinematic form, bringing the stories to life in all their grizzly glory. I knew nothing about Miller's work or about the Sin City universe going into the movie, but I was still blown away by it. I remember coming out from the theater not only impressed by the technical achievements the film managed to pull off, but also floored by the dark yet sinisterly wicked stories and dialogs that Miller came up with. The cast is littered with big names and familiar faces, from Bruce Willis (playing his typical hardened old cop role) to Mickey Rourke playing the rough and tough street fighter Marv, a character that I for one think everyone wishes they could be just like. Jessica Alba stars as the main eye candy of the film, though I found myself more drawn to the duel Kill Bill sword wielding samurai valkyrie chick Miho in all honesty. As for Benicio Del Toro, what can I say? Johnny Depp had to have been their first choice for a character that inevitably ends up as a severed head, but he makes a good second. So what can you expect from "Sin City"? A gritty underground universe; a great deal of insightful dialog and interior monologues; and a whole lot of killing and blood. The successful emulation of Miller's comic book style is a testament to the director's awesome cinematographic skills, and the actors all put their best feet forward. BOTTOM LINE: This has to be the first time a comic book has been successfully been adapted to the big screen. This movie has everything: cops and robbers, grunt brawlers, sexy warrior women, Nazis, ninja wolf boys, corrupt politicians, hit men, talking dead men and yellow bastards. Check it out if you want some juicy, stylish entertainment.