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Directed by: Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez Starring: Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, and many more If you enjoyed the books, you will enjoy the films, and vice versa. They are nearly clones of each other. Nothing can prepare you for how close it is. It's pretty damned close to perfect. Now, this film should either not be called a comic book movie, or it should be the only one called a comic book movie. It is nothing like any other film that has been based on a comic book. The biggest reason this turned out so well is the fact that these books have a beginning and end, unlike ongoing series that have thousands of issues. When making those films, the folks in power had to choose what they were going to work with, and what they weren't. They had to make a lot of sacrifices, understandably. Plus, those books (Spider-Man, Superman, Batman) are aimed at a large audience. Especially Spider-Man, which is supposed to connect with the everyman. With Sin City, you have everything you need neatly arranged in a few paperbacks created by one man. The material is very clear and has a distinct style throughout (unlike series where the cast of creators changes). And there isn't really a target audience. These books were made for those who may end up liking it, no more, no less. It was Miller's baby, he loved it and he didn't care if anyone else did. He's protected his baby and it has turned out awesome. So, Rodriguez and Miller knew what had to be done, and they did it. They put a comic book on the silver screen. It has jumped from the pages and been injected with a new life. You can tell that this is from a comic book. Everything is exaggerated greatly. There are extensive monologues of inner turmoil and intense thought. The dialogue is dramatic and theatrical. The strength of men and the violence they brew is exponentially increased from what could be actual. It's an adventure. Humor and wit is abundant, but doesn’t quite balance out with the darkness and the stench, the grit and the grime. Sin City is a sickly place, and the humor is the same, whether it is underlying or right under your nose. Everyone knows the big hype of this was how close this was to the books’ visual style. It’s true. It obviously pays to have the creator on the crew and have a hand in directing. I’m not familiar with Rodriguez’s work in the past, but have heard plenty of talk about how progressive and proficient he is. I’ve now been convinced. This man worked incredibly hard on this film and went to great lengths to make sure there no unnescecary compromises made. He’s made a book into a film just like fans have wanted any book made into a film. They want it to be just like the book. This is it. It’s finally been done. Even if you haven’t read the books, this film is still incredibly enjoyable. It grabs your attention by the genitals and doesn’t let go. In fact it squeezes. Really hard. The style is undeniably awe-inspiring. Seriously, good luck at not gasping during this film. Now for the performances… Mickey Rourke as Marv is one of the finest performances I’ve ever seen. He is Marv. I think they transplanted Marv’s soul right into Mickey, if that’s possible. He is so fun to watch. Willis nailed his part. Just like Hartigan’s never-give-up-til-you-can’t-move attitude, Bruce went to great lengths to ensure an accurate depiction of the character. Owen is smooth, super smooth, just as we expect Dwight to be. He pulled off the calm yet deadly guy well. Del Toro is the ultimate sleaze-ball as Jackie Boy. He was hilarious. The girls aren’t bad…Bledel pulls of a wonderfully pathetic Becky. Dawson is just as nasty as Gail most of the time. Aoki holds that deadly stare we’ve come to love from Miho. Murphy seemed to exaggerate a little too much with some of Shellie’s dialogue. Alba wasn’t bad as Callahan, but was far from special, though she did pull of the wink. Gugino is just as smokin’ hot as Lucille is supposed to be, and she portrayed her just as well. What everyone is saying about Kevin is true. He is creepy as can be. Wood tackled the roll and became him (kind of frightening). I could watch his parts in the film over and over again and I’d be tense every time. The child-like nature of his face makes my skin crawl. Stahl is in also up there in the creep department after playing That Yellow Bastard all too well. Is it a good thing to corner the market on rolls like this? Heh. The rest of the supporting cast was great for the most part. Some were far better than others, but everyone did their job. Some of the really little parts (such as Stuka) were played excellent and were great crowd pleasers. The score was pretty cool. To be honest I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to its details, but I do know it flowed well with its scenes and enhanced them just like a score should. I’ll note that I am shocked (well not quite) that this film was tagged with an R rating. I am not a censor freak, obviously, but the MPAA has some strange priorities and I’m very surprised this didn’t receive an NC-17. I was even surprised that a number of violent acts were left in-tact as they were. For those who know the books, I’m talking about things like (Hartigan’s encounter with Yellow Bastard at the farm was all there, yea, all of it, you know what I’m talking about). This film is not for the squeamish or easily rattled. AS one who's read the storeis, I still flinched a few times. RATING: 5 PROS: groundbreaking filmmaking, incredibly true to every aspect of the books, very hard-hitting and memorable CONS: pacing (each story held its own well, but the transitions were nearly non-existent, and personally, this doesn’t bother me in a movie where I know a number of separate stories are being told) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401792/ Foppish Yet Dashing fucked around with this message at 09:29 on Mar 19, 2005 |
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Mar 19, 2005 00:35
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