Sin City

Warning, film details and review includes mention of some violent portions that may be unsuitable for those under 18. Please do not read without your parents permission if you are under 18.

I put off seeing this film for a couple of weeks, and finally gave into the urge on April 17 2005 where I watched it at the Old Capitol Mall in downtown Iowa City for the 7:20pm evening show. The movie wasn't playing in either of the normal theatres in town but at the Old Capitol Mall in downtown Iowa City, which was the primary reason I put off going to watch it.

I wasn't really certain what the film was going to be about even though I knew it was based off a graphic novel series of the same name by Frank Miller. I'd seen 2 different sets of movie trailers on it along with knowing that many famous actors would be appearing in it. I spent most of the movie still not certain about what it was about, what was going on and who was who. By the end, however, I had pieced together what had happened prior and could appreciate the events leading up to the end. This line of storytelling reminded me a great deal of Pulp Fiction, where the plot weaves in and out in vignettes of the characters as we meet them at varying points, while the timeline itself isn't linear.

The look of the movie is also different, again not fully original due to a similar appearance in many ways to last year's film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, although that film didn't have nearly so much red in it (and this one is a lot better because it doesn't have Jude Law).

The cast of characters are very well chosen and do a terrific job, from the old and trusty cop played by Bruce Willis to the insane but charming as hell ex-convict played by Clive Owen to the weird and demented but exceedingly funny cannibalistic monster played by Elijah Wood. In fact, Elijah Wood's short cameos make the movie worth the price of the ticket. Other parts of the film are extremely violent, and this is a very strong warning on the level of violence. I've not seen a film more violent than this one in every aspect. Violence is part of the comedy for it, and Pulp Fiction takes a back seat literally on the score of violence (even when you clean up the scattered brain pieces).

So how would I rate it? It is really difficult actually. The film is bizarre. The characters are bizarre. The scenes are bizarre. Do violence and weirdness make a good film? Right after I saw it, I had to mull it over in my mind how to rate this movie. In the long run, the film does make sense although it moves quickly and is not really original in either the comic renderings (black and white with color overlaid) or violence to the max ideology. The film also has a type of comedy I like, black comedy where even in violence you can make something funny. Not everyone's idea of a good time, but I am going to rate it good and I might even buy it on DVD when it is released...

Please feel free to comment on this review or on the movie itself at the forum thread devoted to it at this location.