A Class Act

Rating: 10/10 (21 July 2005)

Having never read any of the comics, and indeed never being a comic fan, i must confess I really enjoyed this film. Simply reading the cast list, reading the American reviews (i live in Australia it only came out in mid July) and eventually seeing the previews I expected I would like the film, but probably not to the extent i did.
From start to finish, the way the film is shot, a black and white film with certain part coloured is very effective. The cast all shine in their individual roles. All star cast often seem to fall flat but this is one example where it's really come off well. They'll be pressed to find a cast as good as this for Sin City 2. Certainly a highlight for many is seeing Elijah Wood in a role so completely different from Frodo Baggins of Lord of the Rings.
As you would expect from anything that Rodriguez does, and any that Tarrentino has anything to do with, it's a very violent film. Due to the black and white filming, some scenes that are extremely violent or gory are made watchable. I appreciated this. It's not so bad that people will be really turned off by it (people who watch films of this genre that is) and yet it's still extremely cool action.
One thing that really impressed me was the dialog. There was no swearing basically the entire film. This is so hard to find now day. It seems if you want to make a kick ass film with lots of action and violence people won't appreciate it unless it's full of the 'f' word. That really frustrates me and is probably my biggest criticism of Tarrentino who's work I still really like. So this was very refreshing.
Overall, it's a fantastic film, I've seen in twice in a week and i'm sure i'd still enjoy it if I saw it again. If you know anything of the director, you'll expect there'll be lots of violence and lots of women parading around in little clothing. If you don't want to see that, then don't watch this film. Simple. Don't watch it then come complaining about all that stuff. For most of us who have enough interest to come to this page, I'm confident this film will exceed your expectations.