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Printer-Friendly ModeSin City shows how good bad really can be
April 4, 2005 —
Sin City is quite simply a work of art. Here is a film that meets and perhaps even exceeds the lofty expectations and hype it seemed to garner almost overnight. Based on the Frank Miller comic series of the same name, Sin City is a masterstroke of style and craft. This is a movie about shady people in a shady world, doing shady things, and it has never been so fun.
I mentioned that Sin City is based on a comic book. It is important to realize that in this case, it isn’t merely a comic book adaptation, it is like watching a comic book come to life and live and breathe. The movie is shot almost entirely in black and white, except for certain key details, like eyes, a bottle of pills, or a red dress. The city itself looks like some gothic hybrid of the 1940’s and the present. It is always night, and when it isn’t raining, it’s snowing. The effect of the style and setting totally immersed me in this world.
Those who have seen Pulp Fiction will be familiar with the manner in which the plot progresses (in fact, Pulp Fiction director Quentin Tarantino directed a portion of the film). We jump back and forth through time at various intervals, following several separate but intersecting stories throughout the movie. We follow the path of Marv (Mickey Rourke), a brutish ex-con who seeks vengeance after the one woman who showed him kindness is killed. Another of the leads is Dwight, played by Clive Owen, as he attempts to retain peace between the police and the prostitutes of ‘old town’ after he kills the wrong person. The third storyline revolves around Hartigan, an officer of the law played by Bruce Willis, whose long adventure begins with the rescue of a young girl from a child molester/murderer who also happens to be the son of a very important official.
Several trends reverberate through Sin City. Authority figures such as politicians, police, and the clergy are viewed as evil and corrupt. Women are treated mostly as objects, and tend to acknowledge men as superiors, yet ironically it is the prostitutes of the old town that break this mold and are as dangerous as any of the men. Most importantly for the development of the story is the idea of having one last chance to prove oneself. As Dwight says, “It’s time to prove to your friends that you’re worth a damn. Sometimes that means dying. Sometimes it means killing a whole lot of people.”
The dark environment of Sin City is a breeding ground for dark acts as I mentioned. This movie is extremely violent (sometimes the blood is white, sometimes it is in color), and features copious killings, gore, and nudity. The subject matter is certainly adult in nature, and is as gritty as it gets. It is difficult to find a good person in the movie, as most are corrupt in some way. However, all three of the main characters seem to possess some degree of goodness. They all are on a quest to help a loved one in some way, and all have a self-sacrificing attitude.
Despite the plot, action, and acting all being superb, the overshadowing aspect of the entire movie is once again the style. No other movie looks like this. It is believable from the first scene, and remains believable throughout the entirety of the movie.
Sin City is a huge accomplishment, and is certain to be one of the best films of the year, and one of the most unique of years to come.