Sin City (1-Apr-2005)
Directors: Frank Miller; Robert Rodriguez; Quentin Tarantino Writers: Frank Miller; Robert Rodriguez Based on a book by: Frank Miller Keywords: Crime, Comic Book Film adaptation of the Frank Miller graphic novel series of the same name follows the storylines of three individuals caught up in corruption in a crime-ridden metropolis.
ABSTRACT Basin City, a blighted hotbed of crime and corruption located somewhere in the United States and almost exclusively referred to by its nickname, "Sin City", serves as the setting for this epic neo-noir film adaptation of Frank Miller's popular series of graphic novels, following storylines concerning a man's transformation into a vigilante borne out of discontent with law enforcement, a hitman eager for his next job, and a police officer's life-risking attempt to save a young girl from a torturous pedophile.
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REVIEWS Review by anonymous (posted on 16-Apr-2005) This movie was so awesome. I didn't even
think I would like it but my boyfriend talked me into seeing it and now
I'm obsessed. I knew nothing of Frank Miller's graphic novels before
this but now I own them all and have just started reading them. The
whole black and white thing with only select parts in color is totally
cool. Alexis Bledel's eyes are hypnotizing with this effect. I can't
wait to buy it on DVD. I think I'll go see it in the theater again
tonight for the umpteenth time.
Review by The Badger (posted on 1-Oct-2005) Let me get this out of the way right off the bat: I've never read Frank Miller's "Sin City." That being said, this movie is probably one of the most simply fun-to-watch movies put on film. The exaggerations are just right, the action, sex and violence are there, and the plot is just strange enough to keep you into the movie. Reading too much into this movie ruins it. Just sit back and watch Jessica Alba shake it and Mickey Rourke bust some heads, with some awesome acting on Bruce Willis' part. From the viewpoint of someone whose never read the comics, this movie's crazy, unbelievable at times, and plain weird... which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Review by anonymous (posted on 6-Apr-2005) You won't get any argument from me that
Sin City, pseudo-iconoclastic filmmaker Robert Rodriguez's adaptation of Frank Miller's cult comic
book series, isn't "eye popping." Part Dick Tracy, part Pulp Fiction,
part Rumble Fish, part Batman, this film is a fanboy's delight.
Rodriguez found so much inspiration in Miller's stark black and white
visuals that he apparently used the Sin City comics as storyboards for
his film, giving Miller a co-director credit in the process.
(Quentin Tarantino -- no surprise seeing him here -- has a cheeky
"special guest director" credit for his hand in the sequences between
stars Clive Owen and Benicio Del Toro.) But make no mistake:
This is control freak Rodriguez's film all the way through.
(I counted no fewer than eight different screen credits for the guy,
including editor, cinematographer, composer and visual effects supervisor.)
I was briefly surprised to realize that this is the first of the director's titles that I've actually seen: On the one hand, he is a hero to me -- as he is
to many independent filmmakers -- for being able to make successful
movies outside of Hollywood while retaining complete control over his
work. (He even quit the Directors Guild after they refused to allow
Miller a co-directing credit.) And yet, for all his talent and energy,
he channels it into these callow exercises in style over substance.
Which may explain why I never bothered to rush out to see his earlier
movies. To be fair, Rodriguez doesn't aspire to make anything other
than Big Dumb Bloody Entertainment, he sure seems to be having a great
time playing with all his digital toys, and the film itself is so
completely over-the-top that it's hard to heap any real criticism on
it. This may, in fact, be Rodriguez's ready-made justification for
everything that he does: Call it irresponsibly violent, call it
hopelessly juvenile - he'll only smile and shrug, "Hey, it's just a
movie!" He may be right, but what's the point then? I mean, I enjoyed
Sin City to a degree: There's good fun to be had in its hard-boiled
campiness, it certainly is stylish, and, though the quality of the
cast's work is variable, Bruce Willis adds his usual gravitas and
Mickey Rourke (under pounds of make-up) is nothing short of
fantastic as the toughest guy that ever lived. But it's all just so
vapid. I'm sure film geeks will treasure Sin City just as they do the
overrated Fight Club and Natural Born Killers. Everybody else will
probably feel like me: Momentarily dazzled by the visuals and amused by
the bombast, but in the end: "Eh!"
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