|
Durel
has no status.
Registered User
Offline:
Join Date: Apr 2005
Age: 24
Posts: 1
Gender:  Rep Power: 0
|
"Sin City is No Sin" by Steven Durel
"Sin City is No Sin"
by Steven Durel
Just returning home from seeing "Sin City" tonight, I try to come up with the right word for it. 'Dark'? 'Explicit', perhaps.
Well, let's just throw vocabulary out the door. This movie was good, and that's the truth.
As you have most likely heard, "Sin City" is a movie adaptation of the Frank Miller comic book series of the same name. Now, while I heard going in that this was "the best comic adaptation ever on film" I really didn't know what to expect. After all, how do you really judge the 60's "Batman" movie with Christopher Reeve's "Superman" or a darker movie like "Spawn"? How does one actually go about making a good adaptation?
The technique used to make "Sin City" great combined the feel of a 1940's crime picture with modern computer effects as well as explicit sexuality and violence.
One effect used throughout the movie that surprisingly didn't get old was the "cut-out effect"—like in the IPOD commercials. The use of this technique helped make a lot of sequences very artistic.
All of this can be attributed to the movie's great production. "Sin City" was not only directed by writer Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez ("Once Upon a Time in Mexico"; "Spy Kids 3-D"), but also featured special guest-director Quentin Tarantino. The combination of these three gifted men totally blew me away. If you're wondering whether or Tarantino's contributions are noticeable, they certainly are. Besides the violence, the sequencing of the movie is reminiscent of "Pulp Fiction" or "Reservoir Dogs".
Of course, the movie would be nothing without its performers. The cast of "Sin City" is utterly stunning. From screen legends like Bruce Willis, Michael Madsen, and Benicio Del Toro to breakout stars Jessica Alba, Elijah Wood, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Brittany Murphy, the movie is jam-packed with fine actors—I must admit, this is really the reason that I went to go see the movie in the first place. While I actually was a Frank Miller fan a few years back, I really just wanted to see a movie crammed this full of this much Hollywood talent.
In particular, Bruce Willis was a big sell for me. Though he's been in some real garbage lately ("The Whole Ten Yards," "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," "Rugrats Go Wild," etc.) I am really a big fan of the guy—I mean, come on, "Die Hard," "The Fifth Element," "Pulp Fiction," "Moonlighting," and (most importantly) "Look Who's Talking". Those were some real classics.
In this movie, Willis plays John Hartigan, "the last honest cop in Sin City." The role also serves as the return of hair on Willis' head in a while. His performance was good, though I think it was a slightly different role than the actor is used to playing and that showed a little. It was a very nice role for him to play however, especially being the aging action star that he is.
The greatest performance in the movie, however—at least in my opinion—was Mikey Rourke's portrayal of Marv. The character, a sharp-tongued brute looking to avenge a hooker, was a real highlight of the movie.
Other notable performances included Elijah Wood's. I've disliked Wood for a while, since seeing the first "Lord of the Rings". Nevertheless, Elijah's creepy, silent performance in this movie really should win him some acknowledgement.
Michael Clarke Duncan and Michael Madsen gave standard performances. So did Benicio del Toro, but something later on in the movie gave him something interesting to work with. Clive Owen also did a good job.
One thing noticeable about "Sin City" is the fact that every woman in it is either a hooker, a stripper, or a waitress at the strip club. The only woman not fitting that criteria was Carla Gugino's performance as a parole officer, but even she was naked the second she got on the screen. I've read some complaints on-line because neither Jessica Alba nor Brittany Murphy bare it all in the movie, but speaking as a man I must admit that there was lots T&A. A notable nudity was that of Jaime King ("Peal Harbor," "Blow") playing hookers. No, that's not a typo, she does play more than one.
Nudity aside, the female cast's actual performance was decent. I went in not really expecting much from Jessica Alba and I wasn't disappointed. She's gorgeous and sweet, but lacks substance. Brittany Murphy did a great job, once again pulling in Long Island accent. Rosario Dawson also was pretty good, but I must say that Alexis Bledel did some of the best acting in the movie. Her performance as the shy hooker Betty was really charming and seemed particularly realistic in a movie seeped in "over-acting".
Also, I would like to add one other fact. In reading some reviews on line, I was upset because few discussed what the movie is actually about. "Sin City" does have a plot and it is a good one, but the way that it is played out and tied together throughout the movie kind of hinders one from explaining it without giving away great twists and turns that are meant to be enjoyed. So, if you really want to know what the movie IS ACTUALLY ABOUT, then go see it.
Trust me. This is actually a good one.
|
Just made my anticipation to see this move greater!! I'm going tomorrow. Judging by the commercials, this movie has a lot of artistic attributes that I can't wait to see. It's going to be a well deserved break from all of these crappy movies that have been coming out.
