Great Movie That Brings a Comic Book To Life

Rating: Null/10 (19 January 2007)

Frank Miller's experiences on the RoboCop movies were not pleasant ones. So, naturally, he was not very excited about having one of his most cherished graphic novel series made into a movie. Thank God for Robert Rodriguez and his crack squad of visual effects producers. With the short that they filmed (which actually starts Sin City), they had not only brought Miller on board, but convinced him to help co-direct.
There are three stories that this movie is composed of (actually four). The first centers on Marv, the big lug with a broken heart. He seeks bloody revenge on the men who killed his Goldie, and gets it many times over. The second tells us the story of Dwight, the skilled killer who seeks to protect the streets from a bent cop with 'a big drunk-on'. And he does. The last story revolves around Hartigan, the straight cop trying to protect an innocent little girl from a pedophile.
There is also a short opening sequence centering on a smooth hit-man out looking for a little cash.
As separate pieces, they stand out magnificently. But when you put them together, you have a movie. A damn good one, too. The stories make up a universe that may or may not be derived from a Pulp Fiction-esquire mythology. If you watch Pulp Fiction and then Sin City, you will notice some similarities (not to mention QT's little segment). But the style of the two films is vastly different. Sin City relies heavily on iconic visuals, taken straight from a Frank Miller drawing. If you freeze frame at about any point in the movie, it looks exactly like a panel from the graphic novel. The use of color at certain areas as well to emphasize a certain idea or object is quite beautiful.
But being similar to Pulp Fiction, this movie is violent--very violent, and is certainly not for weak-stomached individuals. Although, it is so heavily stylized that you really kind of applaud the violence in a way. Or maybe that's just me, being the freak I am. Lots of people complain about nudity as well and the amount of it in the movie, but there are only two characters who are nude. And it isn't that bad.
The actors are top-notch here. This is a weird thing to say considering how wooden, stereotypical, and melodramatic it is. But that's how it's supposed to be--no actor in this film could deliver a straight performance and get away with it. It would drive this film into the bowels of absurdity. Yet, the way the actors perform is quite cool to watch. Mickey Rourke gives one of the best performances in his career, and the other actors are not that far behind him.
Rodriguez was wise to shoot the movie frame-for-frame from the graphic novel. It simply would not have worked any other way. He shot the movie digitally, and I'm the first to admit that I'm not a big fan of digital. But, once again, it probably would not have worked if it wasn't shot all on green screen with digital cameras. Watch the movie and you'll see what I mean.
I think the real star here is obviously Frank Miller. He created the universe of Basin City, plus all of the iconic images. Truly deserving of his credit as 'co-director'.
Overall, this is a great movie. Fun, bloody, brilliant, and totally badass.