Sin City DVD Review:

Walk down the right back alley in Sin City and you can find anything. A wanted man would take on everyone to get revenge for the woman he loved. The whores of Old Town and an ex-con, who would face up to the mob and the police to keep themselves alive. A disgraced cop who would do anything to save the life of the only person that ever believed in him. Sin City has many a tale to tell and don’t expect them to be pretty.

Comic book movies might be all the rage at the moment but ‘Sin City’ is unlike any comic book movie you have ever seen.

Based on the graphic novels by the legendary writer/artist Frank Miller, ‘Sin City’ raises the bar when it comes to recreating the look and feel of the world the characters of the piece inhabit. The film is like watching a live action graphic, with the actors placed into the actual pages. The black and white visuals, with the odd injection of colour for dramatical effect, paints the streets and outskirts of Basin City with the same palette as the books that they are based upon. This gives the film a highly stylised look and one that truly captures the essence of the graphic novel.

Directors Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller and Quentin Tarantino have achieved this by utilising computer-generated graphics but for once the film is better for it. While it maybe becoming more and more common that actors are now performing against green screens instead of actual sets and locations but ‘Sin City’ sets a new standard in visuals. The movie just wouldn’t have looked right any other way as the directors vividly recreate the environments that made the novels so distinctive in the first place.

Having an amazing look to a film means nothing without having a story to tell and ‘Sin City’ has three of them. In the style of ‘Pulp Fiction’, three distinct stories with their own characters interweave with a common connection driving them all. Based on Miller’s graphic novels "The Hard Goodbye", "The Big Fat Kill" and "That Yellow Bast*rd", each of the stories are dark and extremely violent. ‘The Hard Goodbye’ deals with Marv, played brilliantly by Mickey Rourke, and quest for vengeance after the death of the only woman who was ever kind to him, Goldie (played by the beautiful Jaime King). This is probably the most violent of the three stories as Marv goes on a killing spree, working his way through body after body to find out who was behind Goldie’s murder. ‘The Big Fat Kill’ focuses on the war for control on Old Town. At the moment the Whores, lead by Gail, played by the extremely sexy Rosario Dawson, are independent of any mob or police control and deal out their own kind of justice but when Dwight (the excellent Clive Owen) brings Jackie Boy (a manic Benicio Del Toro) to town, all hell breaks loose and Old Town becomes a war zone. Finally we have ‘That Yellow Bast*rd’ that features disgraced police officer Hartigan (Bruce Willis in his best role for years) go up against the man who framed him and sent him to prison, as he tries to protect the girl he saved eight years earlier. The central character narrates each of these stories, as they outline their feeling and ideas as the story progresses. This really draws you into the character and their situation and again mimics the style of the graphic novels on which they are based.

Visually stunning, superbly acted by a star-studded cast and stories that draw you in from the start, ‘Sin City’ is one of the best adaptations to ever hit the silver screen. Directors Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller and Quentin Tarantino have to be congratulated for their sheer dedication to the material (which was probably not that hard for Frank Miller) and the way they approached the entire production. The movie is unique and astonishing to watch, as you would have never thought that a print medium could be so brilliantly recreated on film.

Star Rating = * * * * *

PICTURE AND SOUND

Presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack the transfer is very good. As this is a direct digital transfer, ‘Sin City’ looks as amazing as the filmmakers wanted it to look.

BONUS FEATURES

Behind the Scenes (8.33 mins)

Directors Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller and Quentin Tarantino are joined by stars Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett, Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke, Brittany Murphy, Benicio Del Toro, Rosario Dawson and Clive Owen take you behind the scene of ‘Sin City’. They reveal how the film came about and the approach to bringing Frank Miller’s classic graphic novel’s to the big screen. Casting and characters are also discussed in this very short behind the scenes look.

Trailers
Previews of ‘Goal!’, ‘Cursed’ and ‘Desperate House Wives: The Complete First Season’

OVERALL

With a promised special edition of the film, packed to the brim with extras and an extended cut of the film there seems little point in buying this version of the film. While the film is present superbly, the behind the scenes featurette as the only bonus feature and that is far too short. If you are a ‘Sin City’, wait for the special edition but if you haven’t seen this brilliant film yet, check this version out.



Jamie Kelwick