Sin City

Marissa has had Sin City on DVD for as long as we've been dating, and it took me seven years to watch it. (Holy hell, this movie is eight years old?) The wait was obviously unnecessary, but the movie was worth it all the same. Where to begin? Odds are pretty good that you've seen this film by now, but if you haven't, consider this my hearty recommendation. It was shot almost entirely on a digital set and there's extensive CGI use, but it also harkens back to that somewhat bygone era of film noir cinema. The bulk of the film is black and white, but the high contrast and heavy dose of violence keep it feeling very "colorful" all the same. A few objects in key shots retain their colorization, lending even more appealing visual effects. Blood flowed heavily in plenty of scenes, but it was usually a fluorescent white color, almost like neon paint, which helped keep the tone slightly more fun and not so torture-porny. The cast? Phenomenal. Aside from one glaring miscasting (Alexis Bledel, ladies and gentlemen!), Sin City was loaded with big names playing just the right roles. Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, and Bruce Willis play protagonists in three separate 40-minute stories, and they manage not to be mere carbon copies of one another. All three tales have the same underlying tone of violence and black humor, and in each one the aforementioned badass leads take on some scuzzy thugs or twisted politicians in order to either protect or avenge a woman; there are some recurring themes and patterns in the stories, to say the least. But the two-hour movie never feels repetitious or dull. The stories are distinct enough, with different circumstances and characters and stakes, for the entire thing to feel fresh rather than formulaic. Sin City isn't very deep an its characters aren't so memorable, but what it lacks in substance it makes up for in polish. The entire thing is surface appeal, and that's fine; it's still one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Apparently there's a sequel due out in October. Can't wait!