Film review: Sin City.
I went to see this film tonight, and I went in with high expectations. I wasn't disappointed. Therefore, this review:
After having seen many comic book adaptations up on the silver screen in the last couple of years, most of which failed miserably, Sin City is a breath of fresh air. Or, to stay in theme with the film, a sniff of foul stench. Based on Frank Miller's cult comics, this is everything any comicbook fan could hope for. The film incorporates storylines from three of Miller's graphic novels; The Hard Goodbye, Rourke's storyline; The Big Fat Kill, Owen's storyline; and That Yellow Bastard, Willis' storyline.
Let's do some namedropping here. Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Benicio Del Toro, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Michael Clarke Duncan, Josh Hartnett, Michael Madsen, Nick Stahl, Jessica Alba; directed by Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller and special guest director Quentin Tarantino. Still don't want to go see it? Keep reading.
As mentioned above, the film follows three stories, each one centering on one main character who is on a quest for revenge and redemption, or perhaps a little of both. Marv (Rourke), a brute with a short fuse, is on the run from the cops after being framed for the murder of prostitute/love of his life Goldie (King), and he will stop at nothing to get his revenge. Dwight (Owen) is a man on a mission to rescue the sexy girls of Old Towne from all-out war with the Mafia (in the form of Clarke Duncan) and the law (in the form of Del Toro). John Hartigan (Willis), a cop with a bad heart and retirement within his reach, is hunting down Junior (Stahl), a fluorescent pedophile, who, in turn, is out to get revenge on Hartigan by killing Nancy Callahan (Alba), a girl Hartigan saved from Junior in what seems like a previous life.
What is truly outstanding about this film is its unflinching devotion to its source material. Rodriguez didn't just adapt Frank Miller's books (as was the case with Spiderman, X-Men, Hellboy et al); he has created a literal translation. I wasn't familiar with the comics, but I've taken a look at them online, and it is as if each and every panel in the book served as a storyboard drawing for every coinciding frame in the film. Even the colouring matches perfectly — a bleak landscape of black & white that is enhanced with subtle touches of colour here and there. All-in-all, this is the highest budget film noir you're likely to find.
It's impossible not to comment on the visuals of Sin City. Like Sky Captain & The World of Tomorrow, this film had the actors filmed against blue screen with backgrounds added digitally during post-production. The black & white style, as I mentioned before, is really quite remarkable, and the occasional splashes of colour, whether it be the red of a dress, yellow skin, or an explosion of blood and gore, make this film a visual masterpiece; so much so that, had it been filmed in full colour, much of the impact would be lost. It seems that CGI was invented solely for this film.
The cast is all-round impressive and seem to fully embody their characters. The three leads, Willis, Owen and Rourke, do an amazing job, trudging round the desolate cityscape and having blood splattered all over them, but it's the baddies who excel. Elijah Wood plays against character as Kevin, a mute farm boy with a taste for human flesh, and the other memorable villainous turn comes from Nick Stahl, who plays a character so repugnant and vile, it's almost applause-worthy when he gets what he deserves.
"Walk down the right back alley in Sin City .. and you can find anything."
This quote kicks off this rollercoaster ride of a film, and it is more poignant than it at first glance may appear. What is really remarkable about this tiny piece of dialogue is what the audience may find, when they look closer. Amidst the murky underworld of vigilante hookers, twisted murderers and crooked cops where Sin City takes place, a fantastic film can be found; one that is visually amazing, superbly acted, gloriously directed and utterly, utterly original. A Sin to miss.
The best film of '05 sofar, and we're already halfway through it.
A 90 out of 100.
After having seen many comic book adaptations up on the silver screen in the last couple of years, most of which failed miserably, Sin City is a breath of fresh air. Or, to stay in theme with the film, a sniff of foul stench. Based on Frank Miller's cult comics, this is everything any comicbook fan could hope for. The film incorporates storylines from three of Miller's graphic novels; The Hard Goodbye, Rourke's storyline; The Big Fat Kill, Owen's storyline; and That Yellow Bastard, Willis' storyline.
Let's do some namedropping here. Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Benicio Del Toro, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Michael Clarke Duncan, Josh Hartnett, Michael Madsen, Nick Stahl, Jessica Alba; directed by Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller and special guest director Quentin Tarantino. Still don't want to go see it? Keep reading.
As mentioned above, the film follows three stories, each one centering on one main character who is on a quest for revenge and redemption, or perhaps a little of both. Marv (Rourke), a brute with a short fuse, is on the run from the cops after being framed for the murder of prostitute/love of his life Goldie (King), and he will stop at nothing to get his revenge. Dwight (Owen) is a man on a mission to rescue the sexy girls of Old Towne from all-out war with the Mafia (in the form of Clarke Duncan) and the law (in the form of Del Toro). John Hartigan (Willis), a cop with a bad heart and retirement within his reach, is hunting down Junior (Stahl), a fluorescent pedophile, who, in turn, is out to get revenge on Hartigan by killing Nancy Callahan (Alba), a girl Hartigan saved from Junior in what seems like a previous life.
What is truly outstanding about this film is its unflinching devotion to its source material. Rodriguez didn't just adapt Frank Miller's books (as was the case with Spiderman, X-Men, Hellboy et al); he has created a literal translation. I wasn't familiar with the comics, but I've taken a look at them online, and it is as if each and every panel in the book served as a storyboard drawing for every coinciding frame in the film. Even the colouring matches perfectly — a bleak landscape of black & white that is enhanced with subtle touches of colour here and there. All-in-all, this is the highest budget film noir you're likely to find.
It's impossible not to comment on the visuals of Sin City. Like Sky Captain & The World of Tomorrow, this film had the actors filmed against blue screen with backgrounds added digitally during post-production. The black & white style, as I mentioned before, is really quite remarkable, and the occasional splashes of colour, whether it be the red of a dress, yellow skin, or an explosion of blood and gore, make this film a visual masterpiece; so much so that, had it been filmed in full colour, much of the impact would be lost. It seems that CGI was invented solely for this film.
The cast is all-round impressive and seem to fully embody their characters. The three leads, Willis, Owen and Rourke, do an amazing job, trudging round the desolate cityscape and having blood splattered all over them, but it's the baddies who excel. Elijah Wood plays against character as Kevin, a mute farm boy with a taste for human flesh, and the other memorable villainous turn comes from Nick Stahl, who plays a character so repugnant and vile, it's almost applause-worthy when he gets what he deserves.
"Walk down the right back alley in Sin City .. and you can find anything."
This quote kicks off this rollercoaster ride of a film, and it is more poignant than it at first glance may appear. What is really remarkable about this tiny piece of dialogue is what the audience may find, when they look closer. Amidst the murky underworld of vigilante hookers, twisted murderers and crooked cops where Sin City takes place, a fantastic film can be found; one that is visually amazing, superbly acted, gloriously directed and utterly, utterly original. A Sin to miss.
The best film of '05 sofar, and we're already halfway through it.
A 90 out of 100.
7 Comments:
I do fany seeing this one.
More so since your tops review.
Thanks!!
:)
LOL!!!
I do fancy seeing this one.
:)
I would like to see it. I would have been a bit more enthusiastic if they hadn't mentioned Tarantino, but I'll probably end up seeing it sometime.
Unfortunatly it hit the cinemas in Denmark a bit after Star Wars ep3 and it is still on the biggest screen so Sin City is only played on the smaller ones, and I don't really want to pay for that.
I aim to serve, Pep.
And Hay, I saw it on a smaller screen, too, for exactly the reason you stated, but it didn't diminish the experience one bit. Go see this, you'll regret it if you don't.
Cheers
Hehe. We only have big screens here.
Oh puhleeese!
Cheers
OK, so maybe we have a couple of small screens...
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