www.sincitythemovie.com
Dir: Frank Miller & Robert Rodriguez
Cast: Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba
Tales of the city
all violence, justice, revenge
like living comic
Sin City brings three stories from Frank Miller’s acclaimed series of graphic novels to life. In The Hard Goodbye we follow hard-as-nails Marv (Rourke) who’s been framed for the murder of sympathetic hooker Goldie (Jaime King) and is now on the run, desperate to exact revenge on the real culprit, silent killer Kevin (Elijah Wood). Then there’s The Big Fat Kill which sees private eye Dwight (Owen) caught up in a turf war for the Old Town district between the deadly street girls and the vicious mob following the death of corrupt cop Jackie Boy (Benicio Del Toro). The two tales are book-ended by That Yellow Bastard, in which haggard cop Hartigan (Willis) tries to protect stripper Nancy (Alba) from a heavily scarred paedophile (an unrecognisable Nick Stahl). As with Tarantino’s masterpiece the individual plots intersect a couple of times along the way and this structure suits the film perfectly. These stories are pure pulp fiction, full of vigilantes, cops, corrupt officials, whores, rapists and murderers who love nothing more than to beat, torture, maim, stab, rape and kill their enemies. Did I mention that this movie is violent? Whilst it could be considered a flaw that each vignette is so similarly themed, the movie transcends these drawbacks with its overwhelming visual flair. Director Rodriguez insisted that Miller come on board to co-direct, and between them the pair have succeeded in putting the pages of the comics right up there on the big screen. Sin City has a style all of its own which matches the source material down to the last detail; all black and white (filmed against a green screen, with the background added later) with a few splashes of colour dabbed here and there for effect – it’s a bold, audacious approach and looks amazing. The film’s powerful look is heightened by some terrific make-up work and costuming, from the criss-cross of plasters and scars on Marv’s face, to the curve-clinging fetish wear of the hookers – it really is a fan boy’s wet dream! The casting too is inspired, from the main characters right down to the minor roles involving such talent as Michael Madsen, Rutger Hauer and the lethal Devon Aoki. Of course Willis lives for this type of role and is as solid as ever, but this time he’s outshone by Rourke who proves that he really is now firmly back on the comeback trail. Like Ron Perlman in last year’s Hellboy, you’ll believe that Rourke really is Marv. Whether the unique style and relentless brutality will appeal to a mainstream audience is perhaps open to question, but it’s safe to say that for those who do make the effort, you really won’t have seen anything like this before.
soulmining rating *****
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