Sin City (B+ or 3/4 stars)
It's rare that a movie look as innovative as 'Sin City', an action film written/directed by Robert Rodriguez (and for 1 scene, Quentin Tarantino). This film is based on the graphic comic book novels by Frank Miller. This is a unique film that had potential to blow my socks off, but the last 1/4 fizzled so much so that it brought my opinion of the film down a notch. The film plays out in 3 major storylines. And while each individual story is linked to the other in one way or another, I much prefer it this way rather than a monotonous train of death & gore with no semblance of plot. Sin City is a curious place: It's a dark, wet city, full of ambiguous persons, & with no indication of time period. It could be the 1930s, it could be 2030. I like the mystery of it. And the time period has nothing to do with the stories. We are engrossed in all of the characters, what they say, what they do, & what they all may have in common. They all have distinct personalities, convictions, & motives.
The 1st storyline involves Marv (Mickey Rourke). The movie is filmed in black & white, integrating computer effects, prosthetics, make-up, cartoon imagery, bursts of vibrant colors, etc. This is very effective & it made me tolerate most scenes with graphic gore. It is real, but then again, it isn't. Marv sleeps with a hooker (Jaime King, a black & white figure, tinged with long, gold locks) and wakes the next morn to find her murdered in his bed. He goes on a tireless tirade to eliminate the person who killed her for no good reason. The pursuit of the killer & what happens when they meet is riveting.
The 2nd storyline involves Dwight (Clive Owen). He rescues Shellie (Brittany Murphy) from her abusive boyfriend, and crooked cop, Jackie Boy (Benicio Del Toro). Del Toro's prosthetics are so good that it took me a few seconds to realize it was him. Dwight's lover is Gail (Rosario Dawson), & leader of the sexy hookers in Sin City. Dwight is trying to play both sides of the fence. He's a good guy who respects cops (should be good guys), but sees corruption and evil in them, all the while, recognizing the illegality of the hookers, and yet, protecting them from the dangerous underworld of Sin City's PD. This is another brilliant display of writing, special effects, & action. I was hooked at this point; but soon disappointed.
The 3rd storyline involves Hartegan (Bruce Willis). He's a cop, not far from retirement, but gets wind of a pedophile in Sin City. Hard to resist such evil, Hartegan wants to help one more victim & put one more villain to rest. Early on, we see Hartegan catch the pedophile (Nick Stahl), blow his 'precious jewels' off & save a little girl from a scarred life. By the end of the film, we catch up with Hartegan again as a continuation of his story from the first few minutes of the film. Here, he has to deal with a deranged, disfigured villain aptly named 'Yellow Bastard'. The problem with this last story is that I have seen these types of scenes before. I wasn't scared, interested or creeped-out like I was with the previous stories. I anticipated almost everything that happened and/or what came out of everyone's mouth before they spoke. And when a movie is anchored with Bruce Willis and his story is supposed to be the climax of the film, and it bores me ... that is a very sad thing.
The list of supporting actors in this film is long. But they're all vital to each story; they are the perfect ensemble of characters. Actors such as Jessica Alba, Elijah Wood, Carla Gugino, Michael Madsen, Josh Hartnett, & Michael Clark Duncan lend a lot of intrigue.
This is a fine film. I just wish that Rodriguez re-configured his screenplay to make the Mickey Rourke and/or the Clive Owen stories more pertinent. The Bruce Willis story could have been shortened & concluded at the beginning of the film when it actually starts. However, I'm firmly impressed with the editing, & imagery displayed in 'Sin City'. I love this black & white world, sprinkled here & there with vivid colors. And those colors represent certain emotional traits for certain characters, as well. Blood was usually red, eyes were sometimes green, sometimes purple, & a cowardly character with a hard exterior was yellow. I recommend this film to fans of these recent comic book type of movies. And it's a bonus if you can stomach some gruesome gore. 'Sin City' exists in an existential world, but one that I enjoyed. I know, hard to understand. It's just that, I'm glad I don't live there, but I would sure love to visit in my dreams; very cool place.
The 1st storyline involves Marv (Mickey Rourke). The movie is filmed in black & white, integrating computer effects, prosthetics, make-up, cartoon imagery, bursts of vibrant colors, etc. This is very effective & it made me tolerate most scenes with graphic gore. It is real, but then again, it isn't. Marv sleeps with a hooker (Jaime King, a black & white figure, tinged with long, gold locks) and wakes the next morn to find her murdered in his bed. He goes on a tireless tirade to eliminate the person who killed her for no good reason. The pursuit of the killer & what happens when they meet is riveting.
The 2nd storyline involves Dwight (Clive Owen). He rescues Shellie (Brittany Murphy) from her abusive boyfriend, and crooked cop, Jackie Boy (Benicio Del Toro). Del Toro's prosthetics are so good that it took me a few seconds to realize it was him. Dwight's lover is Gail (Rosario Dawson), & leader of the sexy hookers in Sin City. Dwight is trying to play both sides of the fence. He's a good guy who respects cops (should be good guys), but sees corruption and evil in them, all the while, recognizing the illegality of the hookers, and yet, protecting them from the dangerous underworld of Sin City's PD. This is another brilliant display of writing, special effects, & action. I was hooked at this point; but soon disappointed.
The 3rd storyline involves Hartegan (Bruce Willis). He's a cop, not far from retirement, but gets wind of a pedophile in Sin City. Hard to resist such evil, Hartegan wants to help one more victim & put one more villain to rest. Early on, we see Hartegan catch the pedophile (Nick Stahl), blow his 'precious jewels' off & save a little girl from a scarred life. By the end of the film, we catch up with Hartegan again as a continuation of his story from the first few minutes of the film. Here, he has to deal with a deranged, disfigured villain aptly named 'Yellow Bastard'. The problem with this last story is that I have seen these types of scenes before. I wasn't scared, interested or creeped-out like I was with the previous stories. I anticipated almost everything that happened and/or what came out of everyone's mouth before they spoke. And when a movie is anchored with Bruce Willis and his story is supposed to be the climax of the film, and it bores me ... that is a very sad thing.
The list of supporting actors in this film is long. But they're all vital to each story; they are the perfect ensemble of characters. Actors such as Jessica Alba, Elijah Wood, Carla Gugino, Michael Madsen, Josh Hartnett, & Michael Clark Duncan lend a lot of intrigue.
This is a fine film. I just wish that Rodriguez re-configured his screenplay to make the Mickey Rourke and/or the Clive Owen stories more pertinent. The Bruce Willis story could have been shortened & concluded at the beginning of the film when it actually starts. However, I'm firmly impressed with the editing, & imagery displayed in 'Sin City'. I love this black & white world, sprinkled here & there with vivid colors. And those colors represent certain emotional traits for certain characters, as well. Blood was usually red, eyes were sometimes green, sometimes purple, & a cowardly character with a hard exterior was yellow. I recommend this film to fans of these recent comic book type of movies. And it's a bonus if you can stomach some gruesome gore. 'Sin City' exists in an existential world, but one that I enjoyed. I know, hard to understand. It's just that, I'm glad I don't live there, but I would sure love to visit in my dreams; very cool place.