Best Comic Book film ever made

Rating: 7/10 (6 April 2005)

There have been many attempts to make a movie look like a comic book. "Dick Tracy" effectively used prosthetics and comic book colours and costumes to give it that look. However, the story suffered. "The Shadow" also made good use of creating a comic book reality, where people talked and acted like they were from a comic book. Even "The Hulk" had the innovative use of transitions by scanning across boxes on a comic book. And so on. The primary flaws of these films were both a gripping story and lack of complete immersion into the comic book world. (For some reason I am reminded of "Cool World", another disaster).
"Sin City" finally takes the comic book film genre into it's rightful place. That is, completely separated from reality. Here, Marv, a lowbrow dude, can't be killed by a hail of bullets or otherwise. Backgrounds are completely comic book in their illustrations, using CGI selectively to animate them. The broad use of monochrome design with splashes of colour works perfectly. The overall tone of the film feels like "Pulp Fiction", both comic in their ultra-violence. Indeed, this is the first film I have seen that is a worthy successor to the "Pulp Fiction" style, with "Kill Bill" a close second.
But back to the true strength of this film - story. The three primary plots are original and fast paced. Simplified but not stupid, strong performances (although Bruce Willis didn't break any new ground) of characters who have strong personalities and strong motivations. Mickey Rourke, almost unrecognisable as Marv, gives one of the best performances of his career and carries the film more than anyone else. Rodriguez was perfect for directing, using his experience from his early films to create high energy scenes. The film is fast-paced, with little extraneous dialogue to bog it down.
This film should be considered a classic, it certainly will be a cult hit for years to come. You maybe have seen close attempts of a film like this, but none in the past have achieved the absolute comic reality portrayed in this film.
I give it an 8 out of 10.