Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, special guest director Quentin Tarantino, 2005
8.5
the look of the film, which you all know by now, is stellar. Rodriguez was obviously a huge fan of the books and understood the visuals by heart. the violence and meanness of the books are also --surprisingly-- intact from the novels. that's the first thing that hits you after the black and white picture -- the surly and mean nature of the characters. i have a couple of Sin City novels so i knew what to expect but i was still shocked by how much was left on the screen. bravo to Dimension (Miramax) for having the balls to release such a picture in this day and age where the lead can never kill, even the bad guy, directly. this is a testament to the bravura type of filmmaking Robert Rodriguez has been working with all these years. for all the things that Rodriguez and company got right (Mickey Rourke -- wow, Jessica Alba surprised me with the ease she sank into her role (even the lingering shyness is explained by Bruce's character), Clive Owen, and Nick Stahl for sinking his teeth into his character like a badass), though, the film ended up kinda underwhelming me in other parts, especially with the third act. Bruce Willis. Bruce Willis cannot act. and i don't know why people don't call him out on it, he just doesn't. but i keep forgetting how bad an actor he is everytime until i see a film he's in. the guy does not bring anything to the role. i said this back in '99 with The Sixth Sense and i keep saying it everytime i come out of a film that features him -- he only has two expressions: 'absorbed' and 'thinking'. the guy has nothing else! btw, i thought Quentin had helped direct the bits with mr Willis only because i thought no one else knew how, or wanted, to direct him. but no, he directed the whole Clive Owen segment. and what a stunner that is. and it doesn't even stray from the style of the rest of the film. i didn't even know he'd directed it until i looked it up after the film. a great story well told. even though i left a bit on my appetite (thanks to Willis and the excruciatingly slow Rodriguez style of editing in the last act), the film is definitely a winner. don't let me dissuade you from seeing it. it's a unique film experience. Robert Rodriguez has a vision and he sticks to it. not only were they able to successfully bring Frank Miller's sadistic Sin City to the screen, but they did it on their own uncompromised terms. and they must be commanded for that. i just read that Rodriguez wants to bring the rest of the Sin City stories to the screen. i couldn't be happier about that. a stellar (if still flawed in some places) film.
Posted by Anonymous | 12:27 AM
