Sin City (2005)

My pal Scott Weinberg has been raving and gushing about Sin City since before its release. Being that I almost never get to the theater, I, unsurprisingly, didn't get to see it. But, I've been anxiously awaiting its DVD release. Now, the hardest part is trying to avoid sounding like a gushing fanboy.

What is there to say about Sin City that hasn't already been covered? It's an incredible ride. It's got the pacing of a speeding freight train with nearly unbearable tension and relentless action. It seems like the picture was reading my mind in spots, simply because it was producing everything my imagination wanted to see. In some ways, it's almost like sensory overload, just from being bombarded with awesome visuals, sounds, action and characters. It grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go.

Great acting in the flick throughout, especially Rourke and Del Toro, who has the funniest scene in the film. Even Bruce Willis, Elijah Wood, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba, Brittany Murphy...everyone did a great job of bringing the characters to life. Visually, very arresting picture, with a heavy debt owed to film noir and thusly German Expressionism. The stark black and white look of the film is incredible, and really lends itself well to the movie.

Right from the start, Hartigan goes into a building, guns blazing, and the goons he shoots go flying into the air backwards. Immediately, if the visuals weren't a dead giveaway, the audience knows that this isn't reality. This is, quite simply, Frank Miller's graphic novel, come to life. Everything is so exaggerated, larger than life, and yet, the picture still manages to tap into the primal pressimism of the viewer, the same way that film noirs did back in the 40's and 50's. The protagonists are all obsessive in their quests. They're all searching for truth and a form of justice in a world that seemingly lacks them.

Sin City is like eating a three-course meal. It's extremely dense, rich, and filling. Heck, if I don't see another movie for a week, I'll still be satisfied. I don't know how well it will hold up to repeat viewings, but Sin City is an incredible movie.