Sin City (DVD)

...the right back alley in Sin City and you can find anything. You may even find a film that was very close to never getting made. Frank Miller, the author if the "Sin City" series of graphic novels this film was based on, is not a fan of Hollywood and promised that he would never sell the film rights to his graphic novels. This gave director Robert Rodriguez a bit of a problem, as he was a huge fan of the "Sin City" series and really ...
...get to meet Hartigan, a Sin City cop, who is nearing retirement, but on his way to rescue an 11 year old girl, Nancy, from the clutches of a paedophile, who just happens to be the son of a Senator. His partner tries to stop him, but Hartigan is going in regardless, caring nothing about his age, his heart condition or his foe and concerned only for the safety of the little girl.

This is merely an introduction to a character we'll see ... more

Walk down the right back alley in Sin City and you can find anything. You may even find a film that was very close to never getting made. Frank Miller, the author if the "Sin City" series of graphic novels this film was based on, is not a fan of Hollywood and promised that he would never sell the film rights to his graphic novels. This gave director Robert Rodriguez a bit of a problem, as he was a huge fan of the "Sin City" series and really wanted to turn them into a film.

Following the huge success of his "Mariachi" and "Spy Kids" trilogies, Rodriguez is someone who is used to getting what he wants. In addition, following on from these series, it was a chance for him to direct a film he hadn't written himself, which could perhaps give him a wider, more critical perspective that he seemed to have lost for "Once Upon a Time in Mexico", due to being too deeply involved in the project.

What Rodriguez did was to put his own money into filming a ten minute sequence from one of the "Sin City" novels and send it to Frank Miller. If Miller liked it, the films would get made in the same style. If Miller didn't, then the project was dead before it had even started. Fortunately, Miller liked what he saw, and "Sin City" as a film adaptation was born.

There are currently seven novels in the "Sin City" series and the film takes on three of them, weaving them together into a single film. Although you do run into the same characters in some of the segments, the three stories are completely separate and this is clearly a film divided into parts. The interlinking of stories is a little like "Pulp Fiction" in the general idea, although there is distinct separation of the parts here, which that film didn't have.

There is a slightly disconnected opening sequence that doesn't really fit in elsewhere and was, I believe, the original short film Robert Rodriguez used as his audition to Frank Miller. It's a useful introduction to the way the film is going to look, having been produced in a very similar style to the graphic novels themselves, with a very minimalist black and white look with splashes of colour here and there. It does take a little getting used to, but once your eyes have become accustomed to the starkness of the film, you can just sit back and enjoy the stories. That said, I have spoken to some people who didn't manage to adjust to the visual style and it did take away from their enjoyment of the film a little.

We first get to meet Hartigan, a Sin City cop, who is nearing retirement, but on his way to rescue an 11 year old girl, Nancy, from the clutches of a paedophile, who just happens to be the son of a Senator. His partner tries to stop him, but Hartigan is going in regardless, caring nothing about his age, his heart condition or his foe and concerned only for the safety of the little girl.

This is merely an introduction to a character we'll see more of later, as the first story concerns Marv and Goldie. Goldie is a hooker, Marv her customer. But when Goldie is murdered while Marv is asleep next to her, he vows to avenge her death. Marv doesn't just want to kill Goldie's murderer, he wants to kill the person who ordered her murder and, being a bit of a hard nut, he uses some extreme methods of finding out who did it.

The second story concerns Shellie, the barmaid from Marv's favourite joint and her boyfriend Dwight. Her former boyfriend, Jacky, isn't happy that she's seeing someone new. But Dwight is the stronger and he follows Jacky to make sure he'll not be causing Shellie any more trouble in future. Unfortunately, Jacky escapes into Old Town where the hookers rule, led by Dwight's other lover, Gail. However, in their dealings with Jacky, the hookers break one of the rules that allow them to rule Old Town without interference from the Mob or the Police and trying to sort things out proves a little more difficult that they expected.

The final story takes us back to Hartigan, falsely accused of being a paedophile and imprisoned to keep him from admitting the truth. Nancy, the girl he saved writes to him every week and it is only when her letters stop that he worries about her and falsely admits to his own guilt to get out and find her to make sure she's still alive and unharmed.

The stories are perfect for showing life in a city where there are no rules. Where violence is the only way to get anything done and where sex not only sells, but buys as well. It's a place where right and wrong are not important, only what you can get away with. The stories are all perfectly paced and, much like the original graphic novels, there's not a scene wasted - every moment contributes to the story. The decision to make three stories into a two hour film, rather than stretching a single novel into a film length story was totally correct as anything longer might have dragged, but the film as it stands is all action.

In truth, though, the stories could have been a little less gripping and it would still have worked. It's the style in which they are told that really makes the film stand out. The mostly black and white visuals do take a little while to get used to, especially when the blood starts flowing and looking like paint, but once you've become accustomed to them, they really work out and the whole film has a very dark feel, which fits in perfectly with the attitudes prevalent in the city itself. The whole film also has an element of laid back cool about it, with none of the actors seeming to have to force themselves into the role and none of the characters behaviour seeming anything but right within the boundaries of the stories.

It's difficult to pick out any particular actors' performances in a film like this, as it's really an ensemble cast and so many of the characters are little more than support. Mickey Rourke as Marv heads up the first and best segment, looking as if he was born to violence and hardly needing to break sweat for the role, all the while making you believe that he's a killer with a good heart. Bruce Willis is a little wooden as Hartigan, as he often is, but with the starkness of the city, it somehow seems less grating than in some of his other roles, although his segment is the weakest of the three.

Clive Owen is a bit of a revelation as Dwight, as he's not someone I would have associated with playing such a dark character. However, he fits into the role well, although his voice did sound so much like someone else in parts that it got a little aggravating, mostly because I couldn't work out who it was he reminded me of. He worked very well with Rosaria Dawson as Gail, who had the balance of sexuality and power exactly right, giving the impression that she could either screw you or screw you up at will. However, it's his scenes with Benicio Del Toro, who is getting a well deserved reputation for playing cool bad guys that really makes that story, being full of dark humour and such casual cool from both men.

There are a couple of shocks in the casting as well. Anyone who has seen Elijah Wood as Frodo in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy will be amazed to see him in this film, especially playing someone as evil as Kevin. He doesn't say a word, but he manages to exude a kind of menace that belies his baby faced appearance and puts all thoughts of Frodo well away from your mind. There are also interesting roles for Michael Clarke Duncan, who is as far away from the gentle giants he played in "Armageddon" and "The Green Mile" as a Mob boss and Nick Stahl, who has moved from John Connor in Terminator 3 to the paedophile "That Yellow Bastard". All of them look as if they're enjoying playing against type this time around.

That said, pretty much all the cast look as if they're hugely enjoying the experience, with the possible exception of Jessica Alba as the grown up Nancy. She looks a little out of her depth, especially trying to work alongside Bruce Willis but fortunately isn't in the film for long enough to drag things down too much. There wasn't really a single point I honestly believed that Nancy and Hartigan were supposed to get together but there was so much else happening that this was really only a minor concern.

There is nothing about this film that cannot be recommended. Yes, there is a little confusion over the time frames in the third story, as it doesn't appear that the segments have been presented in true chronological order, but that's easily put aside. The soundtrack is far enough into the background as to be unobtrusive and the eye is grabbed by the action and the style in which it's presented. This is not so much a film adaptation of a graphic novel as a moving graphic novel itself. Rodriguez was so determined to make the film look as close to the original that instead of using a storyboard (a set of pictures drawn to represent how a director would like a scene to look to use as a guide during filming) he used the graphics from the novels themselves as a guide and he has succeeded in giving the whole film a dark yet simplistic look.

Unlike some film versions of graphic novels or comics, you don't need to have read the novels to get the most out of the film. If you have read them, you'll know what to expect, as the story was filmed exactly as the novels depict, with only minor alterations and a few parts left out so as to make the film flow better. But if you've not read the novels, as I hadn't at the time I saw the film, you'll still be able to involve yourself completely in the story.

This isn't a film for everyone. It has an 18 certificate and it deserves one. It's very dark and very violent with a strong sexual undercurrent, as you would expect from a film whose main characters are brawlers, mobsters and hookers. Even with the violence being stylised as it is, if you're not someone who enjoys the kind of gangster movies that have been all the rage for the last few years, you're not going to enjoy this. If you're likely to be offended by that or the sexually driven or politically incorrect moments that the film has, you'd be best advised to stay away.

However, if you're a fan of the Quentin Tarantino style films, ones filled with violence yet held together with some very dark humour, this is the perfect example of the art. If you've read and enjoyed any or all of Frank Miller's "Sin City" graphic novels, you're going to thoroughly enjoy this on that level as well. I'd count myself among the former group and this is the best film I have seen in quite some time, or at least the most enjoyable. Upon leaving the cinema, I could easily have turned around, bought another ticket and sat through it again and there aren't many films I would say that about. I would expect to see this available on DVD around Christmas, but I would urge anyone who likes this kind of film to not wait that long, as it's one that needs to be seen on a big screen and needs to be seen as soon as possible.

I can't remember the last time I had this much enjoyment out of £4 and I don't anticipate it happening again in a while. Possibly until the release on "Sin City 2", due in 2007, which I'm already desperate to see. 

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