Review: Sin City

Not knowing anything about Sin City, other than its comic book background, and all the big cars, racy ladies and fast dialog, I really didn't know what to expect.

But that's how I like it.

Then I saw the trailer. The visual appeal took a hold like a frightened child, so I was curious.

My nephew had a face like someone had taken his pet dogs best chew toy and left a half-smoked cigar, instead.

I guess he was put off by all the yet-another-comic-to-movie-conversion stuff, but that kind of thing appeals to the kid in me.

I'm like that, see.

Set somewhere between some modern-day seething night-time American city and some latter-day seething night-time American city, you're eyes get pulled around like the first time you saw your sisters best friend get undressed while you hid in the closet, spying through a crack in the door.

The only time you see colour is for emphasis and gratuity, like the hair of some hot, well-stacked dame, lipstick, some guys sneakers and the eyes of some sleazy young, back-stabbin' broad.

I was in my element.

OK, that's it .. no more noir-ish commentary. I'll only end up drinking coffee again...

I'm not sure if anyone in the cinema knew what to expect, and I suppose I thought I was going to see something serious yet violent. But there was some out-and-out 'comic' moments which made me laugh out loud while most of the audience in the cinema just didn't pick up on.

The dialog was excellent. So utterly cliched and roundly unspeakable in a modern film. The kind of stuff you'd expect James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson or Humphrey Bogart to hit you with .. each word all bad like a dum-dum bullet and their mouth like a machine gun in the hands of a dead man, shootin' all over the joint.

No .. stop it!

I will resist...

I was impressed by how most of the sketches over-lapped and intertwined. Although, I'd have liked to have seen more of that. But that's just me being fussy.

It's worth pointing out that there's still life in Mickey Rourke, yet.

He had the longest scene, and his turn as Marv was just .. well, marvelous, hilarious, a hint of poignancy and no small amount of pathos.

Also, I'd say he was brave to take on the role of someone who had a disfigured face, given his affection for the surgeons' scalpel of late.

So I've no idea what the readership of Sin City are likely to want from the film. I don't know whether they will be pleased or pissed off. Who knows.

What was most reassuring about this film was that you had the kind of actors & actresses who always turn out a fine performance; Powers Boothe, Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Brittany Murphy, Benicio Del Toro, Michael Madsen .. the list goes on and on.

Fun, wildly violent and funny. Worth a squint...