S10 Reviews: Sin City (2005)

Rating: 9/10 (21 August 2005)

Frank Miller's celebrated noir comic series makes a stunning leap to the big screen. This stylized adaptation contains three stories (four if you count the wraparound featuring "The Man") that intertwine in many ways. First tale involves a cop (Bruce Willis) on the eve of retirement. His last assignment follows the trail of a11-year-old who was kidnapped and possibly murdered by a sadistic child molester who happens to be a senator's son. The second tale (and the best) features Marv (Mickey Rourke, hands down the best role of his career) on the hunt for a silent killer who took out Goldie (Jaime King) a kin-natured prostitute who showed poor stone-faced Marv a good time. There will be hell to pay and Marv will settle the score. The third and final tale concerns Dwight (Clive Owen) a thug with a new face who is set on reclaiming his woman and will put the hurt on the joker who had put the beating on her. That story winds down in a prostitute town that cleans up their messes and solve their own problems through the brute force of Miho (Devon Aoki).
"Sin City" is possibly the most faithful comic adaptation that you'll see. The film is quite literally a comic panel come to life. The stark black and white photography (with bits of color) perfectly captures in vivid detail the world of "Sin City". Every aspect of the film is near perfection from the strong musical score to the editing (which seamlessly jumps around the tales but never leaves you in the dark) and the cast. Wow the cast is phenomenal I mean we've got Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Powers Boothe, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, Michael Clarke Duncan, Carla Gugino, Clive Owen to just name a few. I've read many of a review criticizing the actors but I felt they all do a bang up job as their respective characters. "Sin City" is simply amazing.