movie review by David Blackwell

starring Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Rutger Hauer, Brittany Murphy, and Elijah Wood.

based on the Comic Book series created by Frank Miller

directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller

ANALYSIS: Frank Miller created the SIN CITY comic books out of frustration he had from his dealings with Hollywood (ROBOCOP 2) and his love for hard boiled crime fiction. The comics were entertaining, bold, and grimy. Miller never held anything back. Director Robert Rodriguez wanted to turn SIN CITY into a movie and he convinced Frank he wanted to turn four of the stories (one short story, two mini-series, and one serialized story) into a movie with Frank Miller as co-director. Robert brought in many interesting actors and filmed them against a green screen. He wanted to faithfully recreate SIN CITY frame by frame from the comic books.

SIN CITY is a visual delight. It captures the film noir atmosphere. THE HARD GOOD-BYE is one of the better stories in the movie, but I like THE BIG FAT KILL the best. Mickey Rourke shines as Marv (although I don't think he does the best job as a narrator of Marv's thoughts). It is nice to see Rutger Hauer in a movie lately (since it seems some of the stuff he has done lately is on the shelves collecting dust or being delayed). Clive Owen nails it as Dwight and his performance is my favorite and Devon Aoki's Miho (a silent Asian assassin) is almost as great. Even though Jessica Alba shines as Nancy and Bruce Willis is good as ex-cop Hartigan, THAT YELLOW BASTARD is the weak link of the SIN CITY movie. I only hope A DAME TO KILL FOR and FAMILY VALUES are adapted for the next SIN CITY movie (I want to see the return of Clive Owen and Devon Aoki). Robert originally wanted to do the SIN CITY series, TO HELL AND BACK starring Johnny Depp, for the first movie before changing his mind. Since SIN CITY is doing well at the box office, that tale will end up in a sequel because Robert wants to film every SIN CITY story. I just want to see ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO 2 or the MADMAN movie that Robert Rodriguez has wnated to do for a long time (and he wants Michael Allred (the creator of the MADMAN comic book) as a co-director).

TH HARD GOOD-BYE has Marv hunting down the guy who killed Goldie (a girl he had incredible sex with and is framed for her murder). He has a dyke for a Probation Officer and he ahs to take medication to make sure he isn't seeing things that aren't there. THE BIG FAT KILL has Dwight have the girls of Old Town end up in a mess after they kill a cop and they must hide the cop's body to make sure the deal that Old Town made with the cops isn't shattered. THAT YELLOW BASTARD has a cop with a bad ticker (Hartigan) go to prison for a crime he didn't commit and for protecting a 11 year old girl (Nancy) from the Senator's demented son. When he stops receiving letters from Nancy (which she signs under a different name), he confesses to the crime of raping her to get out of prison to save her.

SIN CITY isn't my favorite movie by Robert Rodriguez (ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO is my favorite), but it is an exciting movie to watch with it's film noir trappings, style, and the cast of actors in it. SIN CITY isn't for the faint of heart, but it will appeal to people who want to see some nudity. The black and white look with splashes of color adds to the proceedings. Not my favorite film noir, but SIN CITY has plenty of style and guts that it kept me entertained to the very end.

VERDICT: Better than most movies in the theaters at this time. Robert Rodriguez is back in the territory I love him most for.

this review is (c)4-8-2005 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. Send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com and look for additional content at http://www.livejournal.com/users/enterlinemedia