The title alone should give you a clue that the movie is going to be packed with sex and violence. If TV shows like “ER” and “Fear Factor” are too grotesque for you, or you think “Survivor” shows too much skin, you may want to pass on Sin City. Director Robert Rodriguez has managed to gather an A-list of stars to fill parts in this mainly black-and-white film. Taken directly from the dark comic book series by Frank Miller, Sin City provides a lot of stunning and amusing visual effects to go along with the rampant violence and bare skin. So literally, however, the fact that it is taken from a comic book series is also its only drawback.
Sin City is essentially three short stories made into one movie. The general plot of each story can be boiled down into this: A girl is victimized by a corrupt system of politicians, cops, or clergy. In come protagonist males to “save” the day. I use the term “save” loosely, because after they’re through, there doesn’t seem to be anything left to save. Bruce Willis fills the role as an aging cop that is ready to retire, who goes on one last case to bring down a pedophile. Mickey Rourke stars a scarred up, simple-minded ex-con who goes on a rampage of revenge against the people who killed a prostitute. Clive Owens portrays a private eye trying to protect the delicate balance between corrupt cops and the gang of prostitutes, led by his eternal love. Each character attempts to achieve his goal through every violent means imaginable, and some not so imaginable.
While the setting and many supporting characters overlap from story to story, the three stories only overlap at one point in time. This causes some confusion as to the time frame that each story takes place in. It also left me slightly disappointed at the end, as there wasn’t anything to bring it all together. What Sin City lacks in a connective story line, it surely makes up with amazing visual effects and countless ways to inflict bodily harm.
The background in Sin City is almost all digitally rendered, but it does not detract at all from the movie. The film is shot in black and white, but certain things are colored, which helps accent the picture. The characters, with their makeup and props, seem to blend perfectly in this setting. If it weren’t for some of the acts of violence and how they’re performed, the world would be very believable. This brings us to another feature of the movie: violence, and lots of it. I couldn’t help but be amused at how many unique and different ways people could be injured or killed. After watching, you will be left knowing a different method for castration, and a whole new meaning to the line, “the boy who cried wolf (or didn’t).”
While I could try and find some meaning in the lack of morality in the movie, the way the heroes go about exercising their own form of justice, and how this is an analogy to the black and white filming with highlights of color, but what’s the point? The effects alone are enough for me to recommend the movie. While the stories don’t connect, each individual storyline is intriguing enough and full of energy that the two hours you spend in the theater flies by. If you don’t mind seeing blood splattered and body parts severed, and your conscience won’t go haywire at the amount of vulgarity in the movie, I’d highly recommend Sin City.
