Sin City Review.

 

Sin City

Directors: Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino & Frank Miller

Stars: Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Nick Stahl, Powers Boothe, Michael Madsen, Mickey Rourke, Jaime King, Carla Guigino, Elijah Wood, Rutger Hauer, Clive Owen, Rosario Dawson, Benico Del Toro, Brittany Murphy, Devon Aoki, Michael Clarke Duncan, Alexis Bledel, Mary Shelton,Josh Harnett & Frank Miller

Running Time: 124 mins

Release: 3^rd June 2005.

Sin City is based on Frank Miller's comic book noir series of the same name and this film is made up of the graphic novels/stories: The Hard Goodbye, The Big Fat Kill, That Yellow Bastard & The Customer is always right which book ends the film. Not going to lie I re-watched this film because Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill for is out this coming August and I have not seen this film in years and I wanted to revisit it. Sin City covers multiple stories of some of the denizens of Basin City.

The Hard Goodbye focuses on Marv (Rourke) a large muscular thug who's somewhat of a loner, Goldie (King) gives him the best night of his life, when Marv awakes he find's Goldie dead in bed next to him. He loved Goldie, she meant more to him than anything and now she's dead, he's gonna kill his way to the top to get her killer, the silent cannibalistic freak Kevin (Wood).

The Big Fat Kill focuses on Dwight (Owen) a hitman who's out to make a hit on Jackie 'Boy' Rafferty (Toro) who's out for a woman's blood. Dwight Kills him in Old Town which is run by his old flame Gail (Dawson), after the hit they find out he was a hero cop and killing a cop in Old Town breaks the truce between the mob and police and the Old Town Girls, which was the Girls are the law in their part of town and now they're coming for revenge.

That Yellow Bastard is about a good, clean honest cop called John Hartigan (Willis) who's near retirement and has a dodgy ticker. Him and his partner Bob (Madsen) go after a child rapist and killer Roark Jr (Stahl) who's taken a little girl called Nancy Callahan. Hartigan can't let him get away with it and kill again, Hartigan gets his man and shoots off his ear, hand and the parts they make him a man and just about to end him, Bob shoots him in the back, Hartigan survives and goes into hospital and Roark's father Senator Roark (Boothe) pays good money to fix him up to get revenge on him and make him to be a child rapist, Nancy writes to him every week that he is inside prison as he saved her, this carries on for 8 years she writes under a different name so Roark can't find her. Then the letters stop and Hartigan receives a letter with a severed finger and fears the worst so he pleads guilty to be let out on bail to find and protect Nancy (Alba) who's a daughter to him but Roark Jr is after her too, to continue where he left off.

As there's a lot of actors in this i'll go through it story by story. The Big Fat Kill first, That Yellow Bastard second and finally The Hard Goodbye as that's my absolute favourite of the three.

Clive Owen is a british actor and being honest I could not make out if it was an American accent or a British accent he was doing, though I should say it did not have any effect on how I felt about his performance in the film which is really good. Dwight is a hitman, a wanted hitman who is a finger print away from going to the chamber, so he has a new face (if you have read A Dame to Kill for and or see the upcoming Sin City film you'll see/know why). He's very methodic and plans his next move in every situation throughout the film He's also very charismatic and intelligent and takes risks. I really love the scene where he is in the car talking with the dead Jackie Boy it's brilliant and has to be seen to be believed it's also darkly funny, he has also has a penchant of wearing red converse trainers and classic muscle cars.

Rosario Dawson is Gail she runs Old Town, she is the Girls leader and you may have guessed that the Girls are prostitutes. She's Dwight ex and does not like the fact that he bought the trouble to him but helps him regardless as she still loves him, she's tough as nails and as Dwight remarks she is his 'warrior woman' . Being honest I have not seen Dawson in much aside Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief and Seven Pounds, this was made a few years before then, She also features in The Hard Goodbye and she'll be reprising her role in A Dame to Kill For. She's great in the role of Gail and when I read the graphic novel I see Dawson. She also dresses very provocatively

Del Toro plays Jackie 'Boy' Rafferty a hero cop, in Basin City. He's a woman beater and a drunk. He looks very dishevelled and his language is slurred and Del Toro is perfect in the role as the dirty cop who does not seem to be a cop at all. He is a brute and has a really dark sense of humour like I mentioned before I love the scene when he's in the car with Dwight and their first encounter In the bathroom where Jackie makes the mistake of not flushing.

Now this brings me to two of the big characters in this story who have unfortunately passed away way too soon; Michael Clarke Duncan as Manute and Brittany Murphy as Shellie.

Manute is a henchman to an unnamed boss, as Michael Clarke Duncan was of a very large man and was very imposing and was a very gentle and kind man who had a knack for playing villains but also stole the show as John Coffey in The Green Mile he was absolutely brilliant actor and he was perfect as Manute is a man of few words but very intelligent as is dressed like a chauffeur and is perfect in the role of Manute. The character will be played by Dennis Haysbert in a Dame to Kill for as it's set before the Big Fat Kill.

Shellie is a bar maid at Kadie's the strip bar where Marv, Hartigan and Dwight visit in their stories and is a landmark in Basin City so Shellie features in all three stories the biggest being in this one. She was Jackie Boy's squeeze at one point till he beat her and she left him for Dwight. Being honest I have not seen Murphy in much as this is the most I have seen her act and she's brilliant in the role as Shellie throughout despite not having much screen-time, she's had enough of being smacked around by Jackie and his goons. She is incredibly beautiful actress also has a great lovely sweet voice too, it's unfortunate that she died at the age of 32 a few years ago she's a brilliant actress, she'll be sorely missed.

It's very sad in some part watching this film knowing these two amazing actors have died, it's very haunting.

Devon Aoki plays Miho or as Dwight calls her 'Deadly Little Miho' she does not have a single line in this film so she has to emote using her body language and facial expressions, she does not express much as she's a silent bad ass just like she is in the comic book. She's one of Gail's girls but she's not a prostitute, she's a protector and a guardian watching over Old Town. She has some terrific action scenes too. In a Dame to Kill For she'll be played by Jamie Chung, as Aoki wants to focus on her family, it would be interesting to see how Chung is in the role.

Bruce Willis plays John Hartigan, a detective in Basin City Police with a 30 year service and a dodgy ticker. He's one of the few good cops, he is selfless, cynical and gruff and calls himself 'stupid old man' he can withstand a lot of pain. Hartigan has not featured in many of the Sin City Stories though Frank Miller has said that he plans to write a story set before That Yellow Bastard. Willis is brilliant in the role, at the time of filming Hartigan was considerably older than himself but with A Dame To Kill this year he is much closer to his age. He forms a father figure bond with Nancy and see's her as his own daughter. Nancy has in love with Hartigan as he saved her. He has a cross scar on his forehead and wears a suit, tie and trench coat and his cannon is his magnum. I have to say this is my absolute favourite role that Willis has done in my opinion he's perfect as Hartigan and he'll be appearing in Nancy's story and Marv's Just Another Saturday Night.

Jessica Alba get's a lot of flack for her acting, she's mostly known for her very beautiful look therefore discredit her as an actress, and after seeing her in a few films I have to say she is pretty good actress, she has done a lot of great films and is going from strength to strength. Nancy is one her earliest roles and she's perfect in the role as Nancy Callahan. She remembers Hartigan very well and constantly writes to him and over the years she has fallen in love with him, something of which Hartigan is against at first. She's a very strong woman and intelligent but needs Hartigan to protect her, we'll see how different she is In the sequel. Like others she pops up in other stories most notably Marv's as he has a crush on her. There's been some complaints about the difference between Nancy in the film and in the graphic novel as she's a dancer at Kadie's Bar, and you may know already what they are but personally I am not that bothered by it to be honest.

I've only seen Nick Stahl in one film and that one film is Terminator 3: Rise of The Machines and I know he was in the American series Carnivale. He was pretty good in Terminator 3 for what it's worth but he's far much better in this as Roark Jr also known as The Yellow Bastard, you'll have to see the film or read the graphic novel to know why but you can properly guess what I mean. He's a real evil sadistic creep in this film and looks it to both before and after his 'transformation' it's a pity I have not seen him in many films, but I have to say he has one of my favourite lines in this film 'You can't even lift that cannon' I love that line.

Michael Madsen is a regular collaborator with Tarantino so it was not a complete surprise he was in this, he plays Bob, Hartigan’s partner and a corrupt cop who betrays Hartigan for the Roark family. He has a great chemistry with Hartigan as they have meant to be partners for years and despite his betrayal Hartigan still gets on with him. It's a great little role.

In a small but pivotal role in the Sin City mythos is Senator Rourke the main villain in Sin City, he runs Basin City and he's the father to Roarke Junior, Boothe plays him exceedingly well. I have only seen Boothe in Southern Comfort, if you have not seen it you need to see it, it's awesome. He's incredibly dastardly,corrupt and evil and untouchable and hopes that his one and only son Roark Jr that will become President. He only features in one scene; the hospital scene and he steals the whole scene I love how evil his eyes looked too, he looked really menacing.

I have to say casting Mickey Rourke as Marv is perfect, they could of not picked a better actor to play him, in film he's of a slightly smaller build but still a big guy. Marv is a legend in Basin City, he has a hulking build, a heavily scarred face, brilliant fighting skills and highly intellectual but mostly uses his brute strength though he is no thug. He's loyal, chivalrous, kind does not kill anyone who don't deserve it though never feels guilty about killing paid hit men, he has ethics and a moral code and don't like 'men roughing up dames'. He really enjoys slowly killing people that truly deserve it in the most horrific fashion.

He has an unknown mental condition that makes him confused and is afraid of going to far and becoming a maniac, he uses med's to keep his condition under control.

He has a platonic relationship with Nancy whom he see's himself as her guardian angel and his parole officer Lucille (Guigino), they adore Marv and will do anything they can for him.

He also has a soft calm voice, a wry laconic sense of humour and a dark one and a penchant for 'damn fine coats' and old fashioned muscle cars, he see's newer ones looking like electronic razors and has a handgun called 'Gladys' which he has since he was a young man and named it after one of his favourite teachers. He really does bring the character to life and is the best depiction of a comic book character I have ever seen he nails it and I cannot wait to see him again in a Dame to Kill For. I love every single scene he is in.

I particularly love the scene with his mother I am not going to spoil it for you but it's endearing, tender and quite funny. He also pops up in The Kadie's Bar scene in The Hard Goodbye, I love the expression on his face when he see's Nancy run to Hartigan. Also Dwight who is Marv's friend, gives the perfect monologue to Marv. You can't help but the love the guy and root for him. It's one of Rourke's finest for sure.

Jaimie King plays Goldie, the only woman who shows Marv physical affection and offered herself in return for protection, Marv loves her. Her death is the start of his campaign to find her killer. She also plays her twin sister Wendy who's also a prostitute and a leader in Old Town who initially thinks Marv killer her sister and the other prostitutes, Marv see's her as the rougher twin, to say anymore would spoil it for you. I have not seen Jaime King in anything else but she is great in the role(s).

Before he played the sympathetic serial killer Frank, he played Kevin a nutty religious mute cannibalistic killer who's not in the least sympathetic at all, it's a silent role for Wood, he does not express much emotion as he is evil and only smiles when he knows he has inflicted pain or horrifically mentally scarred one of his victims, he's a completely evil little bastard who's incredibly quick and quiet and has a penchant for wearing circular glasses and sweaters. The fight scenes between him and Marv are fantastic and being as this was made a few years after Lord of The Rings it must of shocked some and I have to say Elijah Wood is perfect for playing creepy serial killers.

Rutger Hauer plays Cardinal Roark, Senator Roark's brother. Cardinal got his brother that position in power, just like his brother he is corrupt and has a heavy influence in politics He also joins in Kevin's sick activities believing that when they eat the prostitutes flesh that it'll bring him and Kevin closer to god. He's the only person Kevin speaks to and apparently he has a voice like an Angel. Hauer has only a little role in the film but it's a fantastic role and he is completely chilling but calm.

Carla Guigino who's collaborated with Rodriguez before in the past with the Spy Kids films, this is her most recent collaboration with Rodriguez though she has done one other iconic comic book film The Watchmen. She plays Lucille who is Marv's parole officer, she also featured in That Yellow Bastard. She has a more prominent role in this. She is a lesbian and her girlfriend supplies her with antibiotics to keep Marv's condition under control as she cares for Marv and Marv see's her a friend and their meeting we see in this is brilliant, her girlfriend tried to analyse Marv but got scared. She's a fantastic actress that we simply don't see enough of.

Also Josh Harnett plays the Salesman, Mary Shelton plays The Customer in The Customer is Always Right which the film opens too and is bookended with the Salesman meeting Becky played Alexis Bledel who has a small role in The Hard Goodbye and The Big Fat Kill. I haven't commented on the acting as they are only small roles. Also watch out for Frank Miller's cameo in The Hard Goodbye !.

Robert Rodriguez, Graeme Revell and John Debney are responsible for the absolutely nigh on perfect soundtrack it suits the neo noir atmosphere of the film completely once you've seen the film you'll want the soundtrack it's an absolutely iconic soundtrack, it's eerie, beautiful, thrilling, haunting and incredibly exciting.

This film is filmed digitally and there was only three sets made; Kadie's Bar, Shellie's apartment and The Hospital Corridor everything else was done on green screen, to me most of it looked real which is a feat in itself. I should also note this film is filmed in almost all black and white just like the comic book and it's shot to panel perfect. There's a few splashes of colour in certain scenes and blood splatter, clothing, and people's eyes to make them piercing and stand out which is a terrific effect. Visually it looks stunning and arresting in every single sense especially on Blu-Ray.

This is the best comic book adaptation I have ever seen and Rodriguez best film in my opinion, Miller supervised the film and Tarantino directed one scene though I am not sure which one exactly. They've done a top up job bringing Basin City to life. It's very thematic too; corruption, love, lust murder, oaths, loyalty,death, justice, revenge & morality.

You'll need a strong stomach to watch this it's pretty gory but also darkly comic.

It's an onslaught both visually and audibly. Sin City comes at the screen at 80mph and does not let up for a second it's relentless and if it's your first trip to Basin City your in for a real treat. I for one need to catch up and get the graphic novels and return to the world of Sin City onscreen in August which I cannot wait for.