You ain’t seen nothing like this. It’s PULP FICTION drenched in film noir. If you’ve ever read a Frank Miller comic this film is that experience on the screen. It’s violent and stylish and dripping with cynicism… and that’s what makes it great.
Based on three SIN CITY comics – “That Yellow Bastard,” “The Hard Goodbye” and “The Big, Fat Kill” – the film works as three separate episodes taking place in one city with various characters overlapping each tale. The film starts with an unrelated opening involving Josh Hartnett (BLACK HAWK DOWN) and Marley Shelton (NEVER BEEN KISSED), which sets the tone for the film. Then we start out with Bruce Willis (THE SIXTH SENSE) as veteran cop Hartigan, who is after a pedophile (Nick Stahl, TV’s CARNIVALE), who’s the son of the powerful senator Roark (Powers Boothe, FRAILTY).
Next, we see the story of ugly thug Marv (Mickey Rourke, 9 1/2 WEEKS), who wakes up one morning to find his lover for the night Goldie (Jaime King, PEARL HARBOR) dead in his bed. His relentless search for her killer leads him to levels of power that are unexpected.
The third tale follows murderer Dwight (Clive Owen, CLOSER), whose new girl Shellie (Brittany Murphy, 8 MILE) is being harassed by her psycho ex named Jackie-Boy (Benicio Del Toro, 21 GRAMS). Dwight’s pursuit of Jackie-Boy leads him to Old Town, which is run by top hooker Gail (Rosario Dawson, THE 25TH HOUR), and a whole lot of trouble.
But this not where the amazing cast ends. It also includes Jessica Alba (TV’s DARK ANGEL) as innocent stripper Nancy Callahan, Elijah Wood (LORD OF THE RINGS) as quiet, but deadly Kevin, Michael Clarke Duncan (THE GREEN MILE) as mob leader Manute, Carla Gugino (SPY KIDS) as Marv’s lesbian parole officer, Michael Madsen (KILL BILL: VOL. 2) as Hartigan’s partner, Devon Aoki (D.E.B.S.) as hooker/assassin Miho, Rutger Hauer (BLADE RUNNER) as corrupt Cardinal Roark and Alexis Bledel (TV’s GILMORE GIRLS) as young prostitute Becky.
The look, acting, iconic tales and dialogue all add together to make this film a brutal and pulpy ride down the dark side of life. Heroes act like heroes, but there aren’t too many happy endings in Sin City. This film contains all the drama and violence that made 1940s gangster films so great, but this film takes it to the extreme. The flick works as our wildest nightmares and dirty fantasies played out on the screen. What SKY CAPTAIN did with digital sets, SIN CITY advances it even further. Anything is now possible in film. SIN CITY is an uncompromising cinematic explosion. 2005 is starting out to be a bang of a year for movies.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
