Sin City (Film Review)

"I check the list. Rubber tubing, gas, saw, gloves, cuffs, razor wire, hatchet, Gladys, and my mitts."



i'm glad i waited before reviewing this film. let me explain. no, there is too much. let me sum up. i'd read some of the graphic novels before i watched this film and read about the making of it also. so i kinda went in knowing what to expect. and my overall initial reaction was wow. aside from one truly godawful performance by michael madsen (WTF happened there?), and some sleepwalking by others (including bruce willis and josh hartnett), this blew off the screen with its lurid colors, stylized violence and mighty central performance by mickey rourke. at least that was my initial reaction.
cut to months later. and i'd been thinking about the film. and i'd heard other opinions about it. and y'know, despite myself, despite my obsessive love for robert rodriguez, this film ain't all that. in fact, i'm starting to think that rodriguez ain't all that.

• El Mariachi - his debut feature. i always like debuts as they are often seat of the pants, look ma, i ain't got no money and i'm proud of it kinda features. and this is a lot of goofy fun.
• Desperado - the sequel to Mariachi. this is really a remake of the first film, but with noticeably more money and a star in Antonio Banderas. Fun. Nothing more.
• Four Rooms - the Rodriguez segment is easily the highlight of this otherwise godawful film. the segment is light, funny, crazy and morbidly dark in equal parts. this is when i thought rodriguez might actually do something worthwhile.
• From Dusk Till Dawn - the first third of this film is tremendous. like a sequel to Reservoir Dogs, it has great characters which have interesting foibles. and then the vampires show up. now don't get me wrong. i love vampires as much as the next person. but it totally negates the first bit. This used to be a favorite. Now it's a guilty pleasure.
• The Faculty - maybe my favorite Rodriguez. He's a director for hire this time, and maybe that's why i like it so. it's written by kevin williamson (who's overrated) but was maybe at his best with this flick. Extremely well made by rodriguez, i think the reason for the success of this film, is that its extremely well cast. everyone, from Josh hartnett, Elijah Wood, Clea Duvall, Robert Patrick, Jon Stewart on down they're all great.
• Spy Kids - i think this was the downward spiral. this is a very entertaining kids film nonetheless, with some imagination and some wit.
• Spy Kids 2 - uh oh. what did i tell you. still ok, with some nice harryhausen moments. but with the less of the imagination and wit of the previous installment.
• Spy Kids 3D - what the fuck is this? my niece could have made a better film with a paperbag over her head and a fucked up alsatian for a 1st Assistant Director.
• Once Upon A Time In Mexico - what the fuck is this? my pet guinea pig could have made a better film with a paperbag over its head and a fucked up pair of underpants for a 1st Assistant Director.
• The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D - what the fuck is this? (and i haven't even seen it - my critique is based solely on the title alone). my underpants with a paperbag over its head could have come up with a better film title with a elephant's tusk for an assistant.

Robert Rodriguez has clearly got talent. The problem is that he's a goddawful writer. The only remotely good films he's made were written by Tarantino, Williamson or Frank Miller. And the main problem with Sin City is that it does nothing to make it stand out from the comic. In fact it is the comic - just blown up onto a larger screen which (occassionally) moves. Some of the actors relish the green screen imago-fun (like Clive Owen, Rourke, Del Toro or Nick Stahl), some are clearly uncomfortable (Willis, Madsen) and the rest are there so us males can get our rocks off (Jessica Alba and Rosario Dawson). i love a bit of uber-action as much as the next flanaletted male, but i want some meaning and some punchline to it, goddamnit.