FILMBRATS - REVIEWS

“Sin City” is a collection of stories that oddly and briefly intertwine. First there’s Hartigan, a cop looking to prevent a pedophile from claiming another victim. Next there’s Marv, the against-all-odds tough guy who’s determined to find the killers of his beloved hooker Goldie. Lastly, there’s Dwight. He’s out for revenge in the name of his waitress girlfriend. In order to accomplish his goal, he enlists the very capable help of some street walking ladies.

Auteur movie man Robert Rodriguez teams up with auteur comic book man Frank Miller to direct a motion picture version of the popular graphic novels. This isn’t one of those typical comic-to-screen adaptations. What we have here is a shot-by-shot remake of the books, using the pen and ink drawings as storyboards. The result is a comic book movie unlike any other. Whereas “The Hulk” unsuccessfully tried to capture the essence of its source material by dividing the frame into several panels, “Sin City” accomplishes the goal by staying true to the cinematically unorthodox views and angles. Sometimes some of the motion seems unmotivated, but the nearly expressionist cinematography makes up for it.

What the movie doesn’t quite achieve the way it wants is the stark contrast. There are clear moments where the world you see is pure black and white, just like in the illustrations. However, most of the time, you’ll see a lot of gray tones in there. I understand that getting pure black and white frames while still calling it a live action picture would be impossible. You’ll always have some level of gray scale detail imposing. I still wanted to see more of a contrast. There are certain moments where the distinction is clear and purposeful, such as anytime you see Marv with all his bright white bandages, or Kevin the silent assassin’s glasses. There’s no good reason more of that type of effect couldn’t be used.

It would have been better than the other effects you see throughout the picture. I have no problem with wanting to create a fantasy world from scratch. That’s why the mostly digitally made sets aren’t an issue. But it’s another thing when crucial props are made in post. I’m talking mainly about the cars. The car chases looked absolutely horrible. The motion was cheesy and cartoonish and very far from fluid. The cars aren’t the only awkwardly moving objects, sometimes it happens to the actors, too. The CG in this movie is a hack job.

The acting ain’t too great either. All the male characters adopt this ultra gruff voice that may suit their character, but it makes them all sound like the coach from “Major League.” They seem too involved with sounding tough to give a worthwhile performance. The ladies are equally bad (please stop hiring Brittany Murphy). They’re just there to be sexual objects anyway.

Despite it’s flaws, this movie is incredibly entertaining. There’s plenty of action to keep you going. The stories, while slow to start (and shouldn’t have been lifted verbatim from the comics), are interesting and well constructed. Younger audiences and parents need to be aware of the abundance of violence. Expect more beheadings and nut-crunching than you’re probably used to. The black and white makes the violence more sensational, as well. Overall, this movie is the closest you can get to watching a comic book.

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