This much fun should be illegal.

Rating: 9/10 (8 April 2005)

Sin City was originally a comic book series by Frank Miller. The movie is based upon three of his graphic novels. It is co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller himself, and also features Quentin Tarantino as a "special guest director." Anyone familiar with Tarantino will have no problem figuring out which scene he directed, trust me! The script was lifted directly from the graphic novels, which were also used as storyboards (did Rodriguez really want to be as faithful to the source as possible, or was he just too lazy to adapt them? You decide). I have never read any of the Sin City books, but even so I'm happy to know that I'm getting the real deal through the movie, and not some lame parody.
Although Sin City is the creation of Frank Miller, Rodriguez and Tarantino are right at home for the tone of the movie is in many ways very similar to that of their own movies: giddily violent, surreal, stylistic, and darkly comedic. A guilty pleasure that's really too creative to be called "guilty" in the first place.
I'm not joking when I say that seeing Sin City purely for the photography is a perfectly good reason. If you think Sky Captain was a good enough example of what can be done with a green screen and digitally inserted backgrounds, think again! Sin City takes this new style to a whole new level - the photography is so powerful that it might as well be its own character. Not only does it help to recreate a genuine graphic novel feel, it is a perfect physical manifestation of the tone and atmosphere of Sin City itself. Saying the photography in this film is "gorgeous" is an obscene understatement. It's absolutely flawless. Every shot is different and exciting, a miniature work of art in itself (hence coming directly from Miller's panels). The film is mainly black-and-white, but there are little bursts of very bright colors throughout. The color, like the digital backgrounds, adds something infinitely important to Sin City that makes it a full package. The best moments during the film for me were when the color caught me totally off-guard; really not kidding when I say breathtaking.
The plot of Sin City was the only area where I felt something lacking in the movie. Reading comics is a different experience than watching movies, and I agree with the critics who say that Miller's storytelling style has a hard time being translated for cinema. It is made up of three loosely intertwining stories, which may leave some viewers wishing things would connect and form one unit more than they do. The film is more like a glance into the lives of Sin City's residents, not one coherent story with a beginning, middle and end. Additionally, there is an overabundance of voice-over, and while the cast does okay, it does get rather tedious after awhile.
My final complaint with the movie is that there are so, so many characters and not enough movie to do any of them justice. The cast is mind-blowing; I can't think of anyone who was not perfect to a T for their role. The characters themselves are endlessly interesting and fun, even when they come off as one-sided (which, to my amazement, does not hurt them). Some character/cast highlights:
Mickey Rourke as Marv: Funny how the ugly sociopath is one of the most sympathetic and superhero-like characters. His physicality gives him a presence like no other.
Brittany Murphy as Shellie: Brittany completely knocks this small role out of the park. I'd even say her performance was the most heartfelt of them all - somehow, she connects with her character and really embodies her to a level that I couldn't feel with the rest of the cast. She's vulnerable, sexy, AND hardcore. What more could you want? Endlessly cool.
Alexis Bledel as Becky: What a pleasant surprise! If you don't already love her from Gilmore Girls, get ready to gain some respect for this ripe 23-year-old. While her role is not as removed from Rory as you might expect (!), it's great to see her as part of this ensemble and in a project that really flaunts her beauty and screen presence in a way that Gilmore Girls has yet been able to do. And may I say, I am honestly not exaggerating when I say that the shots with her blue eyes are the single most arresting thing I've ever seen in my life. I was literally paralyzed. We're talking mouth hanging open, trying not to drool, heart stopping in chest, unaware of the existence of anything in the Universe except those goddamn eyes.
Sin City is (obviously) not a "realistic" movie, and thankfully it doesn't try to be. Nor does it try to justify itself morally (or visually), which is just so refreshing in our increasingly P.C. world. Yes, the violence is extravagant, yes, all the men are sadistic bastards, and YES, all the women are gorgeous prostitutes. Sin City dares you to ask yourself, what's wrong with that?!! Their world is not ours (luckily), but why not have some fun and enjoy yourself while you're there? In fact, for an extremely violent and morally questionable movie, there is a surprising amount of heart and humanity in it. I think that's my favorite thing about it. One of my biggest issues with our culture is how we all deny the "evil" and "bad" parts of ourselves when they clearly do exist. Seriously, just try admitting to yourself that you have had the urge to kill someone. Not saying by any means that you ever would, but don't you feel better now? What I'm trying to say is how amazing it was that Sin City made me feel so human.