Unique, entertaining and stylish.

Rating: 10/10 (6 April 2016)

Sin City (2005) Reviewed by Martin Davis, Retrospect Film on Facebook.
Based on Frank Millers graphic novels of the same name and co- directed by Miller and Robert Rodriguez, 'Sin City' is one of modern American cinemas most visually stylish and unique films. Shot almost entirely in black and white but with occasional flashes of brilliant colour, the film tells the four interlinked stories of several different characters, all caught up in the corruption and violence of Basin City, the 'Sin City' of the title. On the eve of his retirement, Police Detective John Hartigan (Bruce Willis) rescues a young girl, Nancy Callahan (Makenzie Vega), from a sadistic killer named Junior (Nick Stahl). Junior, it transpires, is the son of the powerful and corrupt Senator Roark (Powers Boothe) and with Nancy denied the right to testify, Hartigan is subsequently framed and then imprisoned for Juniors crimes. Having refused to plead guilty and lessen his sentence, Hartigans' only solace comes from the letters he receives from Nancy. When the letters stop arriving and Hartigan learns that, the now adult, Nancy (Jessica Alba) is once again in danger from Junior he confesses his guilt in order to gain early release and once again come to her rescue. Meanwhile elsewhere in town, Marv (Mickey Rourke) wakes up next to the dead body of his beloved Goldie (Jaime King) and, like Hartigan, finds himself framed for a crime he didn't commit. Marv is a violent brute of a man but he has a strong moral code and is determined to seek out the truth and avenge Goldies murder, a mission that will ultimately lead him to Cardinal Patrick Henry Roark (Rutger Hauer), the senators brother. Next we meet Dwight McCarthy (Clive Owen) and his new love Shellie (Brittany Murphy) who is under threat from her violent ex- boyfriend Jackie Boy (Benicio Del Toro) and his thugs. In protecting Shellie, Dwight finds himself embroiled in a bitter war being engaged between Jackie Boys' gang and the girls of Old Town, who have an uneasy truce with the City Police Department. The film opens and closes with the tale of an unnamed stranger (Josh Hartnett) and the fatal love affair with his mysterious but also anonymous lover (Marley Shelton). A long awaited sequel, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, arrived in 2014 and although matching the first film in style it inevitably lacked much of what made the original so unique. With its stunning cinematography, excellent cast and gripping story lines 'Sin City' is terrific entertainment. Martin Davis, Retrospect Film on Facebook.