Sin City: Doing It Loud And Nasty
So yesterday, I saw Sin City, the movie that I have been waiting to see for at least a good month now. And let me tell you: It fucking rocked.
The most amazing thing about Sin City is that if you read the comic book, it is almost as if Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller used it as a storyboard for the movie. Shots in the movie are literally recreated from panels of the comic, exactly as they drawn. It is truly amazing to see Frank Miller's vision so completely and authentically brought to life. Visually, the movie will stun you, as the darkness that pervades the film does a magnificent job of setting the tone and bringing you into the grimy, blackened heart of Sin City. The movie feels like a two hour guided tour of the worst place you've ever seen or heard about in your life, bringing you right to Hell's doorstep.
The cast is spectacular. Clive Owen, coming off King Arthur and Closer, is on the verge of becoming a huge actor, and his performance here does not disappoint. Elijah Wood, playing a deranged cannibal, goes a long way towards making you forget his Hobbit days. Jessica Alba and Rosario Dawson look incredible, and Devon Aoki is extremely smooth as the silent super assassin Miho (similar to the Gogo Yubari character in Kill Bill). And of course, Benicio Del Torro does not disappoint, giving another fine albeit brief performance. And that just scratches the surface-- Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett, Brittany Murphy, Michael Madsen, Jamie King, Michael Clarke Duncan, Nick Stahl, and others routinely float in and out of the movie.
However, the real revelation of the movie is Mickey Rourke, playing the sick and undermedicated psycho with a heart of gold Marv. Perhaps it is of the makeup that makes him almost unrecognizable, but Rourke delivers a stunning performance. You catch yourself throughout the movie going "Is that really Mickey Rourke?" and then, as the movie progresses, you start to remember that he was a good actor once, and you start to think back to what a great movie 9 1/2 Weeks is. If he chooses more roles like this, Rourke's career comeback will be a success.
The violence in Sin City is often cartoonish and unrealistic, but that is the point-- the original comic was Miller's homage to the crime noir pulp novels of the 40's and 50's made popular by Raymond Chandler, Dashiel Hammett, and especially Mickey Spillane. The comics read like a Spillane Mike Hammer novel on steroids, and that is exactly what shows up on screen. It is interesting that Quention Tarantino, good friend of director Robert Rodriguez, was enlisted as special "guest director," for alot of the violence in Sin City is similiar to Kill Bill, in that it is so extreme and so over the top that you can't help but laugh. Directors Rodriguez and Miller do a fantastic job of weaving the plot lines from three of Miller's graphic novels together into one fairly cohesive story, giving you the whole spectrum of Sin City-- the girls of Old Town, the deranged spectacle of Cardinal Rourke and his crew, and quite simply, the violence and brutality that seeps through the whole place.
All in all, this review does not do Sin City justice. I recommend seeing it for yourself, as it is hard to truly capture the experience in words without having gone to see it yourself. All I know is that due to the hype I had placed on this movie by myself and by the press, I was worried that I would be disappointed. I needn't have worried-- Sin City is one damn enjoyable ride. It certainly challenges the X-Men and Spiderman franchises as the best comic book movies to be made in the last few years. I probably will wind up seeing this movie again, and I'm pretty sure it'll wind up in my DVD collection at some point. It's probably the best movie that I've seen so far this year (although that's not necessarily saying much, seeing as how I've probably only seen about 3 movies in the theaters this year). I heartily recommend it, both as a fan of the original comic and as a fan of original, entertaining cinema. You won't be disappointed.
UPDATE: I found this review by David Edelstein of Slate to be spot on. He articulates "the genius of Sin City" here: http://www.slate.com/id/2115999/
The most amazing thing about Sin City is that if you read the comic book, it is almost as if Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller used it as a storyboard for the movie. Shots in the movie are literally recreated from panels of the comic, exactly as they drawn. It is truly amazing to see Frank Miller's vision so completely and authentically brought to life. Visually, the movie will stun you, as the darkness that pervades the film does a magnificent job of setting the tone and bringing you into the grimy, blackened heart of Sin City. The movie feels like a two hour guided tour of the worst place you've ever seen or heard about in your life, bringing you right to Hell's doorstep.
The cast is spectacular. Clive Owen, coming off King Arthur and Closer, is on the verge of becoming a huge actor, and his performance here does not disappoint. Elijah Wood, playing a deranged cannibal, goes a long way towards making you forget his Hobbit days. Jessica Alba and Rosario Dawson look incredible, and Devon Aoki is extremely smooth as the silent super assassin Miho (similar to the Gogo Yubari character in Kill Bill). And of course, Benicio Del Torro does not disappoint, giving another fine albeit brief performance. And that just scratches the surface-- Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett, Brittany Murphy, Michael Madsen, Jamie King, Michael Clarke Duncan, Nick Stahl, and others routinely float in and out of the movie.
However, the real revelation of the movie is Mickey Rourke, playing the sick and undermedicated psycho with a heart of gold Marv. Perhaps it is of the makeup that makes him almost unrecognizable, but Rourke delivers a stunning performance. You catch yourself throughout the movie going "Is that really Mickey Rourke?" and then, as the movie progresses, you start to remember that he was a good actor once, and you start to think back to what a great movie 9 1/2 Weeks is. If he chooses more roles like this, Rourke's career comeback will be a success.
The violence in Sin City is often cartoonish and unrealistic, but that is the point-- the original comic was Miller's homage to the crime noir pulp novels of the 40's and 50's made popular by Raymond Chandler, Dashiel Hammett, and especially Mickey Spillane. The comics read like a Spillane Mike Hammer novel on steroids, and that is exactly what shows up on screen. It is interesting that Quention Tarantino, good friend of director Robert Rodriguez, was enlisted as special "guest director," for alot of the violence in Sin City is similiar to Kill Bill, in that it is so extreme and so over the top that you can't help but laugh. Directors Rodriguez and Miller do a fantastic job of weaving the plot lines from three of Miller's graphic novels together into one fairly cohesive story, giving you the whole spectrum of Sin City-- the girls of Old Town, the deranged spectacle of Cardinal Rourke and his crew, and quite simply, the violence and brutality that seeps through the whole place.
All in all, this review does not do Sin City justice. I recommend seeing it for yourself, as it is hard to truly capture the experience in words without having gone to see it yourself. All I know is that due to the hype I had placed on this movie by myself and by the press, I was worried that I would be disappointed. I needn't have worried-- Sin City is one damn enjoyable ride. It certainly challenges the X-Men and Spiderman franchises as the best comic book movies to be made in the last few years. I probably will wind up seeing this movie again, and I'm pretty sure it'll wind up in my DVD collection at some point. It's probably the best movie that I've seen so far this year (although that's not necessarily saying much, seeing as how I've probably only seen about 3 movies in the theaters this year). I heartily recommend it, both as a fan of the original comic and as a fan of original, entertaining cinema. You won't be disappointed.
UPDATE: I found this review by David Edelstein of Slate to be spot on. He articulates "the genius of Sin City" here: http://www.slate.com/id/2115999/
posted by Black Charles at 9:24 AM
4 Comments:
Sin City was the best film I've seen all year. I've been waiting for it for so long that it almost didn't feel as if it was truly happening when the previews started to roll.
I'm a dork. This much is true, but chances are I'll be back to see it again before the week is out.
Hey, I agree. I'm a dork too-- I showed my friends the original comic last night and they were flabbergasted at how well it was adapted from comic book to screen.
Yeah, I was a comic book dork. Yeah, I met Frank Miller at a comic book convention.
It's all good, and thanks so much for adding me to your blogroll!
Great review Alper. That movie did rock. According to a couple interviews I read, they did actually use the comic book panels as story boards. They got it spot on, down to the facial expressions and body positions, in my opinion. I was reading a new interview with Robert Rodriguez where he says that the DVD will blow people away. Apparently, they shot every single panel from the 3 comic series they used for the movie and then edited them down to the final product. For the DVD, they are going to have the whole thing put back together so you'll be able to watch the entire "big fat kill" or "that yellow bastard." Each will be about an hour long or so. Also, he says that he's definitely making a sequel based on some of the other comics. Keep the blogs coming, it gives me something to read at work even though I've never ever heard of any of the bands you ever mention ever.
Much like I needed (and still need) the whole Kill Bill saga in one package (I broke down and bought them both seperately), I NEED the Sin City DVD, like right this very fucking minute. That is gonna be fucking RIDICULOUS!
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