From The Archives: Sin City Review (2005)

Sin City, Without Pity

By Kevin Wong

After completing his Spy Kids trilogy, which bristled with childish fun and irreverence, Robert Rodriguez turned his eyes back to the seedy world of gangsters and dangerous women that made him famous. However, the Mexican locales of his El Mariachi folk hero have been switched with a stylized, urban backdrop, and Rodriguez’s spaghetti Western influences have been replaced with the noir color contrast of comic book art. Welcome to Sin City, a film so bursting with eye candy and deliberate overacting that it threatens to undo itself, even as it’s making the audience’s jaw drop.

Based on three out of the six graphic novels written and illustrated by Frank Miller – who gets a co-directing credit for the film – Sin City tells the non-chronological tales of three protagonists, all of whom cross paths during the story. Although this observation has earned Rodriguez many comparisons to Quentin Tarantino – who stops in to direct one dialogue-laden, hilarious scene – the stories in Sin City are much less character-driven, and the spliced timeline seems to be an added flair rather than a plot device to inspire deeper meaning.

The first protagonist the viewer meets is Hartigan (Bruce Willis), one of the only good cops left on the force, who’s one day away from his retirement. However, his moral fiber moves him to try and save 11-year-old Nancy Callahan from a pedophile (Nick Stahl), even at the risk of his life and reputation. Eight years later, Nancy (Jessica Alba) has grown up and “filled out,” and Hartigan must protect her again at all costs. The second protagonist is Marv, a physically ugly ex-con, who goes on a vengeful rampage in search of the people who killed Goldie (Jaime King), a prostitute he spent a single night with. The final story deals with Dwight (Clive Owen), who makes a bloody attempt to keep the peace between the corrupt police force and the prostitutes of Old Town, who enforce their own brand of street justice with guns, swords, and fists.

From the first frame of the film, Rodriguez’s eye for camera placement and color becomes apparent. His gift for filming visual intensity was apparent in both Desperado and From Dusk Til Dawn, but never before has he been this engaged. The first scene features close shots of a woman’s blood-red lips, and the light that hits her tobacco smoke creates striped shadows, which invoke a noirish sensibility. In another action sequence, Marv kills an entire squad of police officers with great relish. A crane shot gives the viewer an all-encompassing view of carnage. However, most striking is the portrayal of blood throughout the film; sometimes pure white, sometimes unnatural red and sometimes neon yellow, the decapitations, dismemberments and castrations in Sin City engage the highest taste in aesthetics while playing to the lowest sensibilities.

The acting performances are less arresting. There are several individual performances that stand out; Bruce Willis gives the film its only moral center as Hartigan, and the dichotomy between his tenderness and viciousness is jarring. Also notable is Alexis Bledel’s performance as a blue-eyed prostitute, and she strikes the perfect balance between naivete and sexual street smarts.

Less impressive is Michael Madsen, who gives a wooden portrayal of Hartigan’s embittered partner. Jessica Alba badly underplays Nancy’s trepidation, and although she looks beautiful, her pivotal role requires more depth. Everyone else in the film chew the scenery with B-movie enthusiasm, which serves the purpose, but doesn’t elevate the film to anything greater.

However, given that the characters are meant to be archetypes of the comic book genre rather than fully-realized protagonists, it would be missing the point to harp upon weaknesses such as these. The film makes its own excuses; a criticism of the indulgent misogyny is parried by Rodriguez’s loyal retelling of Miller’s novels, and a complaint about the action sequences’ repetitiveness can be deflected by the same. Sin City was a film made for comic book fans and lovers of virtuoso action for its own sake. The politically correct and detractors of ‘low art’ will find themselves shaking their heads and searching for the exits. But for the expectant viewer, one couldn’t ask for more.