Sin City

My main fear was that SIN CITY was going to be like SKY CAPTAIN, a lifeless, stilted movie of bored and confused actors posing in front of green screens. SIN CITY was better than SKY CAPTAIN. It was a lot better than ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO. But was it a good movie? Not really. Could it have been great? I think so.

Kudos to Director Robert Rodriguez for breathing some life into the Sky Captain approach. I think he succeeds here where George Lucas fails. No doubt Rodriguez’s flexibility and energy on set was crucial, as well as his ability to adopt and adapt new filmmaking techniques.

They got the look down perfectly. Some of the casting choices were inspired. Elijah Wood was perfect as Kevin the Ninja Cannibal. Mickey Rourke was probably the only person I would want to see play Marv. Bruce Willis and Clive Owen did very well with the material. Rutger Hauer and Benicio Del Toro were likewise comfortable in familiar roles. The rest of the casting was distracting at best.

I have only read one Sin City graphic Novel – The Long Hard Good Bye. This story, featuring Marv, Kevin, and Goldie was the best part of the movie. This chapter deserved more breathing room and screen time. I think if this part was expanded and the last two parts were cut the movie would have been great.

I admire Rodriguez for making a bold, risky, and experimental project. I just wish he had taken more time with it. Even after my disappointment in the theater I still can’t stop thinking about the trailer. The trailer will stay in my mind, along with Marv and Kevin from the Graphic Novel, somewhere between memory and imagination. That’s the movie I want to see.

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