Sin City

Starring: Mickey Rourke, Clive Owens, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Benicio Del Toro, Rosario Dawson, Elijah Wood, Carla Gugino, Josh Hartnett, Michael Clarke Duncan, Rutger Hauer, Nicky Katt, Jaime King, Michael Madsen, Brittany Murphy, Nick Stahl, Alexis Bleidel, Tommy Flanagan
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Thriller
2005

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: The residents of Basin City deal with violence and corruption.

Review:

Tim: This might be somewhat shocking, but I didn't particularly care for Sin City. Sure, I'm as impressed by the visuals as the next guy, but overall, I felt like the movie had a few brilliant moments, but mostly felt hollow. It was certainly an ambitious effort, but it doesn't feel like a complete, cohesive effort. I thought the film was decent, but disappointing.

I'll start with the visuals. When Sin City came out, I'd never seen anything like it before. Shooting against a green screen and adding in the backdrops later certainly gave this film a ripped-from-the-comics vibe. The colors, however, are even more impressive. The black and white, the striking colors that pop off the screen, the whole look and feel of the film is incredible. I was blown away by the visuals, and certain moments stick out vividly in my mind. I loved how this movie looked.

The story is pretty complex, as we get a number of different stories from various time periods, all intersecting throughout the film. It's complex, but director Robert Rodriguez does a good job of allowing us to realize how each storyline fits in the bigger puzzle. I will say that I wasn't a fan of the bookend scenes with Josh Hartnett. I understand that fans of the graphic novel will appreciate this, but for regular viewers, it started and ended the film in a disjointed fashion. Still, the story lines are fairly decent. The downside, of course, is that we feel like we're getting part of the story. Jumping from character to character certainly gave the film the feeling that there's a lot going on, but I felt like it muted some of the momentum the movie had been building.

The cast is pretty amazing. I loved Mickey Rourke as Marv. He looked nearly unrecognizable, yet his acting ability showed strongly in the part. Clive Owen was good, but I found his character and story the least compelling of the big three. I loved Bruce Willis in the film- he gave the best performance, and was pretty terrific. I wanted more Willis, though. Jessica Alba was a nice addition. She's not a great actress, but she does good work here. Her dancing scene is one of the most memorable of the entire film. I felt like Benici Del Toro was well cast, but didn't particularly care for his part, and the fake nose felt awkward to me. Rosario Dawson did nothing of any merit. It was fun to see Elijah Wood in a very out-of-character role, but he didn't have a line of dialogue, so he wasn't that spectacular. Carla Gugino was good, but her part was too small. Michael Clarke Duncan was completely wasted. Michael Madsen likewise had too small a part. I didn't particularly care for Brittany Murphy, but I suppose she was fine. Nick Stahl did good work in an unlikable role. As a whole, the cast is incredible, although they weren't all used to their potential.

I felt like Sin City was a bit too violent and gory. I understand it's supposed to be that way, but it occasionally felt cartoonish to me. The vivid violence and the sheer amount of torture and pain inflicted on various characters is crazy, and it will undoubtedly turn some viewers off to the film. It doesn't exactly make the movie accessible.

So many people love this movie, but for me, it felt a bit disappointing. Frank Miller's work is undoubtedly excellent, and this movie is a faithful adaptation, but it just felt like it was a bit too disjointed for me. The effort of translating the story to the screen was fantastic, but as a whole movie, it struggled to stand on its feet. I know many viewers will disagree with me, but I didn't love Sin City and I just don't think it is a complete, cohesive film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



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