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Sin City
Reviewed by: The Dweeb |
| Video: Widescreen 1.85:1 | Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, French Dolby Digital 2.0 |
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DVD Features Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
Theatrical release: 4/01/2005 |
Plot synopsis from IMDB.com:
A collection of interweaving stories all based in the corrupt, crime infested hell-hole that is Basin City. Heavily influenced by film-noir, the main storylines concern a hulking brute called Marv , who is seeking the murderer of a beautiful woman who was killed while asleep in bed with him; an ex-photographer called Dwight who accidentally kills a hero cop and has to cover it up; and a soon-to-be-retiring policeman called Hartigan who is incarcerated for a crime he didn't commit. All based on the brilliant graphic novels "Sin City", "The Big Fat Kill" and "That Yellow Bastard", written and illustrated by Frank Miller.Some of the most amazing things done in film these days a lot of times takes place outside the Hollywood mainstream. Usually by a crop of maverick directors. People like Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Mel Gibson, Francis Ford Coppola, and George Lucas (back in the day) just to cite some examples. Oh hey, what a coincidence I mentioned two directors who are involved with Sin City! Sin City is a film that will stand on its own for a long time to come, a literal adaptation of the gritty and violent comic book series by Frank Miller. Most of the time they turn comic books into films, but in this case it is the reverse. The film has become the comic book, its as if the panels have come to life.
The first attempt at creating such a highly stylized concept film, Sky Captain And The World of Tomorrow looked great but was hampered by a weak story. Sin City is the triumphant marriage of image and storytelling, after all the source material is great to begin with so its a no brainer. It's a dark, damp and violent tales of woe about some of the worst people ever to grace the pages of a comic book. If you don't know what the concept of film noir is, see this film. I think we have a new poster boy for this genre.
Sin City is not your typical film with an A to B to C plot. There are three separate smaller tales all interwoven in the end, as it turns out by the Nancy stripper character (sexy Jessica Alba..ahem). Anyway, the film is also bookended (is that a real word?) by another short tale that really has nothing to do with the other three. It starts off a bit confusing as once that intro is done and it moves on to another story it leaves you wondering at first. Turns out that this scene was the original test footage to convince everyone to make this film and Rodriguez threw it in anyway. You won't see the "Salesman" (Josh Hartnett) again until the end.
The violence is a bit over the top, but the film is loaded with a great cast who play some excellent characters. My favorite is Marv (Mickey Rourke), the ogre who to me looks a lot like Hellboy. He's funny, brutal and seemingly indestructible..almost. He's out to avenge his favorite hooker's death, and along the way kills some mobsters, a bunch of cops, the clergy and Kevin (Elijah Wood), who inexplicably likes to kill and eat people with his dog. Yeah, it gets that weird.
Because there are a ton of characters involved, the movie can get pretty busy as its very fast paced. Things progress rapidly and there's not much time to soak things in with each turn of the page. I do have to say the look of the film is damn cool and it pays faithful homage to the comic book. Most of the film is in black and white with the occasional splash of color thrown in for emphasis. Don't let this turn you away from the movie, the colorization technique is the core to this film. The comic book is the same way and it provides some really interesting visuals.
As expected, an almost completely digital film transfers very well onto the DVD format. The sound and picture are top notch, and this may be one of the better looking films to come out on DVD this year. Unfortunately, Disney has decided to go the double dip route with this movie. This release is only a barebones, with a really brief featurette just filled with promotional fluff. I understand Rodriguez will release a more encompassing DVD set in the future, this one barely scratches the surface. So, if you have not seen it yet and can't wait, go out and rent this one. I would wait for the better edition.
Reviewer's Opinion: RENT IT!!
