Movies like Sin City are extremely rare. In fact, they only come around when a guy like Quentin Tarantino or Guy Richie is directing it. It helps that Tarantino directed one of the scenes, and his influence is practically smeared all over the movie, but this is the work of Robert Rodriguez, and the genius of Frank Miller. Sin City is like Pulp Fiction slapped into a comic book, and then brought back to life with all the violence of Kill Bill. Because this is a comic book, the characters can become even larger than life than any of Tarantino's characters.
Like an old-fashioned noir film, this movie is shot primarily in black and white. Color is interspersed for effect, like Dwight's sleek red car, police lights or the blood flying out of a hatchet wound. This gives the film a gritty feel, and I'm positive it wouldn't have been there had the film been in color. Every so often, the action will give way to actual animation in black and white. These are some of the best scenes, as they manage to get into the head of the character being portrayed. The characters talk to themselves throughout the whole movie, which creaes some very over the top dialogue. But like any noir film, it's very cool.
There are three main characters, all wrapped up in convoluted plots of mystery and mayhem throughout Basin City. Marv (Mickey Rourke) is a washed up ex-con who wakes up next to a dead hooker. Marv isn't exactly a ladies man, and this hooker gave him one night of passion, so he'll do all he can to bring her killer to justice. His story will produce the most laughs, as he kills his way to the top in the most inhumane ways you've ever seen. Dwight (Clive Owen) is just plain crazy, and after he kills a hero cop (Benicio Del Toro) in a part of the town run by hookers, he's got to cover it up to prevent the whole city from going to war. The conclusion to this is an orgy of blood, swords, and hot smoking lead.
Hartigan (Bruce Willis) has arguably the most well thought out story, and his is the most realistic, and at the same time, very surreal. As the movie begins, we seem him hunt down a pedophile and remove his testicles with a well placed gunshot. He's then filled with lead by his partner. He recovers, and is sent to prison, since that pedophile happened to be the son of a Senator. Well, the years have passed and a little girl that he saved wants him. Strange, but reasonable. After her letters stop coming, he admits to what he did (didn't do), and he's freed. He goes right to this girl, but his followed by the mysterious Yellow Bastard. I won't spoil anything else, it's just too good.
This movie is certainly not for the faint of heart, or kids under the age of 17. It's rated R for a reason, and I'm actually surprised it wasn't rated higher. There's nudity, excessive violence like nothing you've ever seen before and plenty of swearing. It's called Sin City for a reason. If being eaten alive and having a hatchet slammed into people's foreheads seems like a bit much, you will likely not enjoy this movie. But for everyone else, this film is a modern masterpiece.