Directed by Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn, The Faculty) and Frank Miller, (who has a cameo in the film) Sin City was released in 2005 to critical and commercial success, with praise being directed mainly towards the films unique visual style. It features an ensemble cast including Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Benico Del Torro, and many others. The film is based in the eponymous city, and follows several story arcs (all based on Miller's comics) which often intertwine. What results is a slickly directed, well acted piece of neo-noir brilliance. To make everything easier to follow, I'll break up the review, & look at each storyline separately.
The Customer Is Always Right
The film opens with The Salesman (Josh Harnett) offering a woman (The Customer) a cigarette outside a party. He offers to save her from her life, and after sharing a kiss, he shoots her. Pretty brief huh?That Yellow Bastard
Police Officer John Hartigan (Willis) is out to stop a little girl called Nancy from being violated by a serial child-killer called Junior (Nick Stahl). Unfortunately, the killer's father is a powerful US Senator that has most of the police force on his payroll. After finding and wounding Junior, Hartigan is double-crossed by his partner, who is also being payed off by the Senator. Hartigan is badly wounded, but is happy since Nancy is safe, he happily passes out.The Hard Goodbye
An unpleasant looking misanthrope named Marv (Rourke) wakes after a drunken one night stand, and finds that his partner Goldie has been murdered, and sets out to avenge her death. The police soon arrive, but Marv escapes before they can arrest him, and begins searching the city, looking for clues as to who killed Goldie and why. He interrogates hitmen, casino workers and even a corrupt priest (Miller's cameo) who reveals that the Rourke family, which includes the Senator that payed off Hartigan's unit, is responsible. Marv continues his quest to find Goldie's murderer, progressively killing his way to the truth.The Big Fat Kill
Shellie (Brittany Murphy) is harassed by old flame Jack Rafferty (Del Toro), who has shown up at her apartment drunk. Dwight (Clive Owen), Shellie's new boyfriend, confronts Jack, sending him off in a rage to Old Town, an area where the law is dispensed by prostitutes. When Jack makes the mistake of threatening one of them, he and his friends are killed. Unfortunately Dwight and the hookers discover, much to their disdain, that Jack was a much-loved police hero, and that if his death is discovered, the cops would move in on Old Town, and the prostitutes' lives would be ruined.
Do I have something on me?
Naturally I haven't described what happened at the end of each scenario, as I try to include as few spoilers as possible in these reviews. Needless to say, all the scenarios hold up well, and on the occasions when they crossover, it's always works to the films advantage. This film has a lot going on, what with having numerous story lines, but at no time does it feel overwhelming. The pacing is perfect, and the stories are straightforward enough to enjoy, but also complex enough to be engaging. The all-star cast turn in great performances as their respective characters. My personal favourite is Marv. I think it's something to do with the fact that, for all intensive purposes, he is a very unpleasant character, but the narrative and the stunning performance from Rourke actually make us feel sorry for him. We feel his pain, his despair, and we want him to avenge his fallen lover. For me, this is just the scenario that sticks out, but I love all of them, and put together, they add up to one hell of a movie.
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