cinematic redemption in a world of "Sin"...

Rating: 8/10 (10 April 2005)

In "Sin City," director Robert Rodriguez remedies the problem that cripples many a comic-book adaptation: the appeal to reality. While faithful in regard to character and plot, many are too afraid to plumb the depths of a world warped into a full-blown perversion of our own, thus denying the finished product its eyeteeth and turning it into a mere distraction instead of a transformative experience that makes our concept of reality seem pitifully dull by comparison. True to its title, "Sin City" is a visionary epic rife with content so vicious that its true impact doesn't settle in until the movie is over. Set against a noirish, black-and-white background (with blood appearing as red droplets or inverted white splotches), the film grips you from the first frame and doesn't let go for 2 hours. The random insertion of color seems almost a parody of "Schindler's List"--red blood, a rainbow of rain splattering a windshield, the yellow gore of a grotesque creature; these details are like traces of reality settling into a fantastic world, awakening the id-controlled demons that lie suppressed in many. These touches infuse "Sin City" with a dramatic pulse that is complemented by its throwback to 1940s film noir style. When the movie began, I was on my guard and a little defensive about what it might hold--some high-gloss adaptations expend a wealth of stunning visual style, yet are poor in story and character; "Sin City" is an example of the opposite--while the film follows 3 separate story lines, the main characters are well-drawn, supporting players sparkle, and plots twist with playful frequency. The vignettes consist of a hulk avenging a prostitute's murder; the accidental killing of a crooked cop that threatens a turf war; a detective's quest to save an earlier victim from a psychopath reincarnated as a yellow-faced monster. Contrary to (or perhaps irony inspired by) the film's title, each story suggests a desire to reform that leads to decisions which finally bring about closure, and, in a way, redemption for the characters. Even the narrative gimmick of having the film bookended by an ambiguous character (referred to only as 'The Man' in the closing credits)suggests that the random encounters in our lives account for more than we realize.
"Sin City" is Robert Rodriguez's most controlled cinematic work to date; even amid its fantastic chaos, he shows a maturity lacking in his previous films--whereas "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" and "From Dusk Till Dawn" were as loud and bombastic as they were hollow, "Sin City" succeeds in moments of quiet reflection, slick voice-over narration, and grizzled facial expressions. The world these flawed characters inhabit is drowned in unpleasantness and death, yet is transfixing in its own hideous beauty--in an era of pulpy, disposable filmed fiction, "Sin City" lends both comics and cinema fresh credibility. Well done!