As I sat through the first 20 or so minutes of Sin City, my anticipation for this unusual film slowly turned into disappointment. The performances were awkward, the dialogue cliched. I actually winced once as a line was delivered. Fortunately, that weak tone quickly fades as soon as the movie embraces its more intense side. The avant-guard violence and inventive noir visual style end up making for a memorable movie-going experience. Sin City won't appeal to everyone, but for those with the stomach for it, it's mesmerizing.
Basin City isn't a friendly place. Its political leaders are even more corrupt than the officers who police the streets, and it's up to the lowlives who lurk in the seedier corners of the city to be its heroes. There's Marv (Mickey Rourke), the barroom brawler with a talent for torture; Hartigan (Bruce Willis), an ex-cop-turned-con; Dwight McCarthy (Clive Owen), a murderer on the run.
As most readers of this site know, this movie is based on the Sin City comic books and graphic novels by Frank Miller, and unlike the majority of the film's viewers this opening weekend, I've read the original source material. Rodriguez and company have not only stayed true to the comics, but they've brought them to life on the big screen as well, better than any other comic-book adaptation before it. The director sometimes uses silhouette to achieve a two-dimensional effect. Miller uses silhouettes throughout the graphic novels as well, but the result on the big screen is somwhat different. It reinforces the sense that this is a comib book brought to life, and it's something the viewer can't take his eyes away from. The same holds true throughout the movie and for the various other stunning styles and tricks the filmmakers trot out.
The violence in this film is brutal. From severed limbs and spurting stumps to decapitation and castration... if there's an unimaginable horror that can be visited upon the human body, chances are it's to be found in this movie, or at the very least, implied or referenced. The violence is so over the top so as to be comical. It could be seen as gut-wrenching, but it's definitely a major part of the entertainment value. Does Sin City glorify violence? Certainly not. There's a sense the characters would like nothing more than the white-picket-fence life, but they're forced to walk a darker path by various forces -- responsibility, justice, psychosis, the reasons vary.
Sexuality is a big part of the film as well. There's plenty of female nudity here, and one could even see the film as being misogynist, given that most of the murder victims (or intended victims of various crimes) are women. But the female characters are often pillars of strength themselves. Nevertheless, despite that strength, there's always a man needed to save the day, and that might not sit well with some. But misogynist? No, and in some ways, the film elevates female sexuality. Instead of objectifying it, it almost worships it, setting it up as something pure and magical.
In terms of performances, Mickey Rourke steals the show here as Marv. In some ways, Marv is the least human of the heroes here, but thanks to Rourke's performance, he's the easist to accept. His gravelly voice is perfect, and there's an animalistic quality in his eyes that makes the character's willingness, his anticipation, to kill shine through with crystal clarity. Sin City could very well prove to be a major comeback vehicle for Rourke.
There are three main storylines that unfold here in a Pulp Fiction-esque manner, crisscrossing into one another just a little. But the plot isn't important. This is all about atmosphere. This is all about style. The creators combine a classic, 1940s film noir sensibility here with a more modern edge. Film noir delved into the unfortunate side of humanity, but Sin City thrusts the harsher edges of reality into the viewer's face.
If there's one thing about this movie that's clear, it's that it's completely artificial. The visuals are overly stylized to the point of being unreal, and the same holds true of the violence. Sin City is not meant to be taken seriously (and the morbid humor throughout will attest to it). It's a visual experience, not a story. 8/10
