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The highly stylized graphic novels of talented comic-book artist Frank Miller come to life in an equally stylized motion picture co-directed by Miller and Robert Rodriguez. Starkly photographed in black-and-white (with strategically placed daubs of color), Sin City resembles its printed-page inspiration more closely than perhaps any previous comic-book adaptation. Rodriguez and Miller take great pains to replicate specific panels from the graphic novels, casting actors who resemble the pen-and-ink characters, posing them in the same positions, and employing the same dramatic interplay of light and shadow created by Miller’s bold brushwork. The reliance on comic-book imagery makes for an impressionistic look so visually striking that the viewer either won’t know or won’t care that the interrelated, episodic story lines are pure pulp, distilled from decades of hard-boiled crime fiction and the noirish movie thrillers of the ‘40s and ‘50s. Bruce Willis plays a rugged, honest cop -- one of the few working in Sin City -- who rescues a little girl from a sadistic rapist (Nick Stahl) whose big brother (Rutger Hauer) happens to be a politically well-connected clergyman. Framed into prison, the cop languishes for years, and the girl grows up to be a stripper (Jessica Alba) working in a nightclub frequented by a hulking ex-con (an unrecognizable Mickey Rourke) wanted for murder. Meanwhile, a corrupt detective (Benicio Del Toro) who is harassing one of the club’s waitresses (Brittany Murphy) is eventually killed by her boyfriend (Clive Owen). The resulting chaos ignites a war between Sin City’s armed prostitutes (led by Rosario Dawson) and dishonest cops infuriated by the murder of their crooked comrade. The movie’s two-dimensional underpinnings are reinforced by the comic-strip nature of its violence: people sustain multiple gunshot wounds without dying, plunge from great heights without injury, and soar dozens of feet through the air after being hit by speeding cars. There’s nothing even remotely realistic about Sin City, but its atmospherics are so convincing that viewers will believe they’re always right in the middle of this violent, grotesque, fully realized world. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

The Eisner Award-winning comic series Sin City comes to life in this live-action feature adaptation from director Robert Rodriguez and creator Frank Miller. Interweaving multiple storylines from the series' history, this violent crime noir paints the picture of the ultimate town without pity through the eyes of its roughest characters. There's the street thug Marv (Mickey Rourke), whose desperate quest to find the killer of a prostitute named Goldie (Jaime King) will lead him to the foulest edges of town. Inhabiting many of those areas is Dwight (Clive Owen), a photographer in league with the sordid ladies of Sin City, headed by Gail (Rosario Dawson), who opens up a mess of trouble after tangling with a corrupt cop by the name of Jackie Boy (Benicio Del Toro). Finally, there's Hartigan (Bruce Willis), an ex-cop with a heart problem who's hell-bent on protecting a stripper named Nancy (Jessica Alba). Featuring a who's who supporting cast that includes Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Devon Aoki, and Nick Stahl, Sin City promises to be one of the most direct translations from page to screen of a comic series, with shots and dialogue adapted straight from the original comic's panels. Rodriguez quit the Director's Guild when they refused to let Frank Miller co-direct the film, a deal hashed out after the two collaborators developed and shot the opening scene utilizing a green-screen process to harness the stark, black-and-white look of the books as a litmus test for the rest of the production. Quentin Tarantino was brought in and reportedly paid one dollar to direct an extended scene between Del Toro and Owen that amounts to one issue of The Big Fat Kill miniseries. Jeremy Wheeler

Product Details

• UPC: 786936692143
• Source: DIMENSION
• Region Code: 1
• Language: English
• Editions: Expanded
• Time: 2:27:00
• Sales Rank: 27,755

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