Sin City

Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller (with the help of "guest director" Quentin Tarantino) bring Miller's gothic neo-noir graphic novel to the big screen, with generally positive results. The movie is a stylish mixed bag; it has its share of false moments and ridiculous bits, but as a piece of bravura pulp fiction, it's generally entertaining.

Set in the garish, hideously corrupt Basin City, the film's episodic plot follows the stories of a gaggle of malcontents, crooks and would-be moral men. Our primary protagonists: Hartigan (Bruce Willis), a good cop who goes to jail for killing the pedophile son (Nick Stahl) of the powerful Senator Roarke (Powers Boothe), to protect little girl (and later stripper) Nancy (Jessica Alba) from Roarke's vengeance; (Mickey Rourke), a seemingly indestructible thug bent on avenging the murder of a hooker (James King); and Dwight (Clive Owen), a seedy gunslinger who helps Gail (Rosario Dawson) and her tough gal hookers fight a crooked cop (Benicio Del Toro) and a ruthless crime boss (Michael Clarke Duncan). Also involved are a super-human cannibal (Elijah Wood), a crooked priest (Rutger Hauer), a seedy waitress (Brittany Murphy) and a seductive serial killer (Josh Hartnett).

Sin City is pretty much a triumph of style over substance. The movie's pseudo-hardboiled dialogue is often cringeworthy, and many of the visual choices are a bit outlandish (particularly Nick Stahl's reincarnation with a big orange head). The multi-faceted, episodic story is a bit rough in construction; had Tarantino been at the helm (instead of the "guest director") he probably would have done a better job at connecting the story and constructing the plot. The characters are pretty broad, and while some are well-developed, others remained cartoons. Overall though, there's not a whole lot to complain about; with a little polish, it might have been a truly great film, but we'll settle for what he have.

Certainly the film's style is mostly a success; filmed in filtered, computer-aided black-and-white, it perfectly captures the grim, desperate feel of Miller's graphic novel, creating a wonderfully dark, hopeless and absorbing atmosphere. The driving musical score by Rodriguez, John Debney and Graeme Revell helps a great deal too. The film's portrayal of moral men trying to make their way in this completely amoral world is quite interesting; in a town like Basin City, there's no choice but to be some level of crook. Most of the characters are fairly one-dimensional, but Rodriguez and Miller make many of their dimensions interesting.

The all-star cast is mostly good. Bruce Willis conveys Hartigan's tortured mixture of morality and cynicism wonderfully. Jessica Alba, however, is one-note and wooden as Nancy, a poorly-conceived character who comes off as a drooling male fantasy. Mickey Rourke makes Marv both hilarious and pathetic; what could have been a mean thug character becomes extremely sympathetic. Clive Owen is fine if a bit colorless as Dwight, though the more showy characters in that sequence inevitably steal his thunder, particularly the gorgeous and feisty Rosario Dawson, the tart Brittany Murphy and a grimly humorous Benicio Del Toro. The supporting cast is full bursting with talent: Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs), Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile), Alexis Bledel (Tuck Everlasting), Carla Gugino (American Gangster), Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings), Josh Hartnett (O), James King (Pearl Harbor), Rutger Hauer (Batman Begins) and Powers Boothe (Tombstone) are all fine.

Despite its flaws, Sin City is still a generally well-made film and certainly worth a look. It's not the greatest film you'll ever see, but it's an interesting way to spend two hours.