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April 12, 2005
Sin City revels in grit and gore
It’s common practice for movie studios to scan every review of their film to find a few choice raves to litter promotional materials with. So when Sin City was released, it was no surprise that previews and posters called it “thrilling” and “extraordinary.” What’s uncommon is for a movie to live up to those boasts - and then some.
Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller’s new film, Sin City, is more than a superhero movie, it is a comic book come to life. A gritty, violent, bloody comic book, that is. Sin City is an almost shot-by-shot adaptation of the comics, telling the stories of three Sin City graphic novels. The highly stylized and over-the-top production brings film noir into the 21st century and ups the ante, with plot taking a backseat to style. It has all the elements: tall, dark and trench-coated protagonists, sexy femmes fatales, and deadly betrayals. Plus, of course, hookers, beheadings, torture, executions, and lots and lots of blood. The movie was filmed in color and then changed to black and white in postproduction for a dramatic effect, much like Gary Ross’s
Pleasantville, except here the color is more likely to be a red bleeding wound than a pink flower. Many will search for meanings and symbols in the colors, which is fine. But, more importantly: The colors look cool.
The movie has all the elements of classic film noir. Many will find the violence to be too much, but, ideally, you will be able to find humor in a man being dragged face-first by a moving car.
The three stories are not closely intertwined, but all center on a desperate man out to save a young woman he loves. The movie shows how the city can beat people down and drive them to desperate measures. Less bleakly, it allows for the belief that loyalty and hope can triumph over anything.
Sin City is an amazing film, a truly unique and exciting cinematic experience, though many will be put off by the graphic violence and sexual imagery. Others won’t be able to handle to over-the-top action that violates every law of physics.
And, to be honest, the film was slightly longer than it needed to be. But the style-over-substance approach worked out for the best, and fully abandoning reality becomes a triumph.
Posted by msveum at April 12, 2005 02:28 PM
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