REVIEWS

"SIN CITY"

Sometime in the late 80s, Batmania swept the nation as everyone was anticipating Tim Burton's feature film take of the character. I wasn't really all that into comic books at the time, but I started buying anything having to do with the Batman movie. In the magazines about the movie, I repeatedly read that the movie's dark tone was inspired by a comic book mini-series called "The Dark Knight Returns," written and drawn by Frank Miller. It sounded like a sequel to me, so I foolishly went looking for "The Dark Knight," 'cause I wanted to read the first part before I read the sequel. Eventually, I found out that there was no comic called "The Dark Knight," and "The Dark Knight Returns" was NOT a sequel, that it was a story set in the not-so distant future, and it referred to Batman's return after he'd been retired for a number of years. I bought "The Dark Knight Returns" at the comic book store nearest me, a place that no longer exists called Charlie's Comics (if you're a Generation X comic book geek from Miami, you know exactly which store I'm talking about). I bought it and read it that same day. It knocked me on my ass. I was relatively new to comics, so I didn't get some of the references, but it still managed to totally take my breath away. After that, I dove head first into the world of comic books, and I've been a comic book geek ever since. It can be said that Frank Miller turned me into a comic book geek, and to this day, "The Dark Knight Returns" is my favorite comic book story of all-time.

For those unfamiliar with Frank Miller, he also wrote "Batman: Year One," the "Daredevil" comics that ended up being the basis for the feature film (in the comics, he created and killed "Elektra"... he was furious when Marvel Comics broke their promise to never bring "Elektra" back in comic book form), and many other comic books. He also created "Sin City." Frank Miller's first "Sin City" story appeared in the monthly comic book anthology published by Dark Horse Comics called "Dark Horse Presents." Part one of the story was in a special anniversary issue, "Dark Horse Presents 5th Anniversary Special." Parts 2 through 13 were featured in Dark Horse Presents #51-62. When they first came out, I wasn't very interested, because at the time, I was only into superhero comics. I eventually relented, because Frank Miller's art in "Sin City" was truly unique, and I had to check it out. I read it, and once again, Frank Miller knocked me on my ass. That first "Sin City" story was published in 1991. Since then, he did a few more "Sin City" stories; the occasional one-shot, the occasional mini-series...

So this brings us to the movie. Since Frank Miller owns the rights to "Sin City," he was able to refuse offers to make feature film versions of the comics... and he did. Repeatedly. For one thing, he was already making plenty of money from his comic books, so there was no financial need, but not only that, he insisted that the feature film be made on his terms, and one of the biggest things he wanted was for the look of the comic to be recreated on film, which seemed impossible unless it was animated. Enter Robert Rodriguez.

Robert Rodriguez (the director of "From Dusk Till Dawn," the "Spy Kids" movies, and his "Mariachi" Trilogy, which includes, "El Mariachi," "Desperado," and "Once Upon a Time in Mexico") convinced Frank Miller to join him as he shot a film version of one of Miller's "Sin City" stories. It was supposed to just be a test. When the short film was done, he'd send it to Miller, and if Miller liked it, they would do an entire feature film. If Miller didn't like it, Rodriguez said that he could consider that short film a gift and that would be the end of it. So Rodriguez got Josh Hartnett and Marley Shelton to act out "The Customer is Always Right," from Frank Miller's "Sin City" collection of short stories called "The Babe Wore Red and Other Stories." After post-production on the short was completed, Rodriguez sent it to Miller, Miller loved it, and shortly thereafter, they began pre-production on the "Sin City" feature film. Consequently, that test footage Robert Rodriguez shot was shown in it's entirety at the 2004 San Diego Comic Con, and it's in the feature film as the opening sequence.

Anyway, getting the other actors involved turned out to be relatively easy. Once they saw the short film Rodriguez shot, they wanted in. When all the pieces came together, shooting began on what would ultimately be the most faithful comic book movie ever made. Like with the short film, Rodriguez didn't use a screenplay, he handed the comics to the actors telling them that those were their scripts. The comic book worked as storyboards for the shots, and if you were to take certain frames from the movie, they're almost exactly like panels in the comic book. In fact, just about every comic book panel is represented on film here. I've seen side-by-side comparisons, and it's astonishing.

A lot has been written about Frank Miller getting directing credit along with Robert Rodriguez, and how Rodriguez left the DGA (Directors' Guild of America) because of it. The rule is that DGA members can't share directing credit, it's one director per film. There are exceptions, such as when two people join the guild together (like with the Farrelly Brothers or the Hughes Brothers), and to be honest with you, I can see why the DGA has that rule. Right now, a lotta Hollywood movies have countless writers and producers listed in the credits and much of the time, some of those who are credited don't deserve to be. DGA rules prevent that from happening. Still, Rodriguez felt strongly that Miller should be credited, since Miller would be on the set with him, helping out as director. Besides, Rodriguez's shot list was basically shots created by Miller in the comics. So Robert Rodriguez left the guild. He isn't blacklisted or anything, but he can no longer direct a studio film that was developed by a studio... which he rarely ever did anyway, so this won't hurt him too badly. Still, Rodriguez showed great integrity.

Most of the directing chores were handled by Robert Rodriguez, while Frank Miller helped out, telling the actors additional things about their characters, giving Rodriguez ideas, and basically making sure that the movie was as faithful as possible to the source material. I should point out, however, that the final sequence in the film is NOT based on any of Frank Miller's comics. Still, it's a cool way to end the film, and I'll leave it at that. I don't wanna spoil it for anyone.

Blah, blah, blah... so how's the movie? Me personally, I like it. I like it a whole lot. The problem is that some things that are somewhat believable in comics are absolutely NOT believable in a movie. Also, the movie does drag a bit, and it could have used some additional cuts. That being said, "Sin City" is a huge accomplishment, and it also happens to be extremely entertaining.

And violent.

Lord have mercy, is this movie violent! Don't get me wrong, the violence doesn't bother me in the least bit, but I can guarantee you that a lotta people will be walking outta this movie upset over the violence. Heh, pussies.

"Sin City" has an amazing cast, but there are so many big names in the movie that I'll only mention the ones who stand out to me:

• Jessica Alba
  My God, this woman is so hot, I almost wanna buy the "Honey" DVD. Her acting isn't great, nor is it awful... nor does it matter. She's unbelievably gorgeous, and she looks REALLY good in this movie.
• Devon Aoki
  She plays the sexy Asian gal whose name I don't remember in "2 Fast 2 Furious," but in "Sin City," she's "Mijo," one of the coolest characters ever created. In truth, it's not her acting as much as the greatness of the character, but she was perfectly cast in the role.
• Carla Gugino
  Thank God for Carla Gugino! Wow, she's a goddess! As hot as Jessica Alba is, Carla Gugino is probably the sexiest one in this movie. She also worked with Robert Rodriguez in the "Spy Kids" movies, where she plays a VERY different role.
• Frank Miller
  The man himself, the creator of "Sin City," has a cameo role as a priest in the film.
• Clive Owen
  Damn, this guy is such an awesome actor. He didn't exactly nail the American accent here, but that's okay, 'cause he's so great in his role. He's gotten a lotta attention recently because of his Oscar-nominated role in "Closer." His performance in "Sin City" proves that the attention is well deserved.
• Mickey Rourke
  Out of everyone in the movie, I'll have to say that Mickey Rourke impressed me the most. He's not the pretty boy he used to be, and a few years ago, it seemed like we'd never hear from him again, but he's back, and he's at the top of his game. Mickey Rourke is probably the best thing in the movie, which is saying a lot.
• Bruce Willis
  He's the biggest name in the film, and he certainly does bring in a certain weight. He's really good in the movie, very likeable, and his character is probably the easiest one to relate to.
• Elijah Wood
  Here he's playing a role totally different from his role in "The Lord of the Rings." He doesn't do much, but the little he does works. Very creepy.

Oh, some of you may be wondering about Quentin Tarantino, and his being "Special Guest Director." Well, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino are buddies, and Rodriguez had Tarantino shoot a sequence in the film. Can you guess which sequence it is? Well, I'll tell you which one it is. Without giving away any details, it's the sequence where "Dwight" (Clive Owen) and "Jackie Boy" (Benicio Del Toro) are in the car talking.