Having never read the graphic novels, Frank Miller’s Sin City is nothing like I expected it to be. It’s also like no other movie I’ve ever seen. And two days after seeing it, I’m still thinking about it.
If you haven’t seen Sin City — the movie, as opposed to the porn site of the same name that owns the sincity.com domain and looks quite a bit like most movie Web sites — what you probably know about it is that the cinematography is a trip — black and white film sprinkled with sporadic color and the occasional comic book-esque shot. You probably also know that Quentin Tarantino has something to do with the film, but you’re not quite sure what (he was the “Special Guest Director,” and Alex and I suspect he directed the middle of the three vignettes of the movie). What you probably don’t know if you haven’t seen the movie is how intensely violent it is (though you probably could’ve guessed since you knew Tarantino had something to do with it).
Sin City begins and ends with what might be the same story. But you’re not sure. Sandwiched in between are three somewhat connected stories of a man, his woman, and their adventures in Sin City, the thread that ties them together. In between is a lot of bloody violence (dulled a bit by the switch to comic book style imagery), naked women, and stunning camera shots.
Each story is narrated by its respective protagonist and at first, you’re not quite sure what to make of each. Do you hate the character? Sympathize with his cause? What does he have to do with the other characters? Does he have super powers (this is based on a graphic novel)? The tone and writing of the film is poetic, borderline cheesy, if not a throwback to movies with cliche plot lines from a bygone era (“it was my last day on the force…”).
Sin City made me tense the entire time I watched it. I wasn’t sure if I liked the movie. But I enjoyed watching it. Only after reflecting on the movie and letting it sink in do I realize that I did like the movie. But I don’t think I’d see it again.
It really is a movie like no other.
1 response so far ↓
1 Jane // Apr 11, 2005 at 11:56 am
I second that. Mostly I appreciated the aesthetic of moving the comic book genre to the screen so well — using ink and silhouette and suggestion. And the hard-boiled narrative made it fun. But I don’t really need to see it again.