Ok. There are movies and there are MOVIES(if you don’ understand this. Itz not for you). this is one film which doesn’t belong to any conventional genre’per se’. Though people have tried their level best to do so(now thatz another sin). therez only one category."cinema that kicks you in the *uts. and you feel blessed after watching it"
Don’t know when this film would hit Indian theatres(or actually it had… n’ I missed it while running daily chores like many other ignorant lesser mortals)
And whenever it hits, I don’t feel that the watered down version(courtesy: censor board) would be worth a ‘dekko’.
Fortunately, I have managed to watch it on DVD.
Blood, Gore, violence, nudity, mayhem, limbs flying in air like snowflakes… et al(this would be the simplest way to describe ‘sin city’ **if you don’t like/understand it)**… NO it ain’t anything about mindless machoism & action… It’s about something which has the darkest shade of DARK
How do you start describing this film? First you need to understand the psychology of film(yeah films too have a psychology – which in fact, is the way director looks at entire story and its treatment(I created this entire gibberish)
So, what is Sin City?
It’s based on famous comic book by Frank Miller and directed by Robert Rodriguez(the guy who gave you ultra stylish, mindless action packed adventure – ‘Desperado’)
It’s the story about a corrupt city and its people.It’s a world of crime… Crime… & CRIME.
Film has 3 main plots/stories… which explain how entire action unfolds
1.A part of city is run by hookers/warriors(no doubt therez a tacit understanding between cops, gangsters and hookers & ‘cops’ are the ones who brokered peace in that area), where even the toughest criminals don’t dare to venture. A deal that goes grossly wrong and now these women are fighting for their survival with help from a friend in Dwight McPherson.
2. A criminal on parole(MARV)(with a severely disfigured face) who is shunned by society, finds love in a hooker(lives only to avenge her death)
3. An honest cop(HARTIGAN) who wants to save an innocent victim from the clutches of psychopath rapist/killer(played brilliantly by Nick Stahl – A character who is so evil that you would cringe at the very thought of his evil desire). His second ‘avatar’ on screen is so sinister that when ‘Hartigan’ describes this creature you can actually feel him slithering around along with his stink.
‘Sin City’ goes beyond ‘good’ and ‘bad’(that’s too clichéd for its characters… in this part of the world every act sets a precedent and it becomes the ‘new right’)
Even those who will hate it; they will ‘love to hate it’
It’s about the characters that make ‘Sin City’
These characters symbolize cardinal human traits:
Characters driven by instincts- the raw instincts
These characters would rekindle/reinforce your faith in god/divine super power(or whoever you think has given some order to whatever chaos was left, after so called ‘BIG BANG’… millions of years ago) and you will definitely thank him for not having these people around you in ‘so called’ real world(which is again a distorted vision of things-‘the way we look at them’)
MARV: An unscrupulous psycho criminal turned lover, whose only desire is to avenge the murder of his girlfriend…. and for him, his sin is his most divine desire.
In his words… “worth killing for.worth dying for.worth going to hell for”(knowing pretty well that in conventional world, his decision to kill a man of god will be termed as an ‘evil’ act)
HARTIGAN: An honest cop who has given all his life to save innocent men and women of Basin City yet, unconcerned with the most pragmatic theory of ‘society cares a sh** about all the good work’. Played by Bruce Willis – whose acting skills I don’ need to explain & while playing Hartigan he displays a character true to his Hollywood image – an honest cop who will do all that takes, to stand by justice. A man who lives his job & call of duty is what he understands best. Quite a display of emotions(especially in scenes where he is shown helpless against the universe/system – As Paulo Coelho said in ALCHEMIST “at times, entire universe conspires against you” – No he actually said “entire universe works in your favor when you wish to do something right”; since we are talking about ‘Sin City’ so the conventional theories work best when they are reversed)
Jimmy Boy - An undercover cop(pretty honestly dishonest), Dwight – a criminal who turns friend, Shelley – A bar girl, Nancy – Bar Dancer, Gayle – Crime/fun queen of the old city, Goldie – MARVz love interest… and many more damn’ interesting fellas.
**Every character is a story** – so, I am not writing about all of them(coz’ then this review would run into a book)
Cinematography: It moves from real to unreal, to animated, to CGI, to pure graphics at times. Film is very beautifully shot in frames of black and white & gray( probably that is the only way director understands this world… coz’ it’s not the acts or characters but entire city which is black n’ white).
Brilliant cinematography and perfect blending of graphics and real characters… The city, its life(or the lack of it), Gothic structures, old cars, mean streets, sleazy booze joints. Everything explains Basin City at its best.
Characterisation is perfect. Every character is complete for the situation(or incomplete… going by the logic that they are pretty distorted in conventional framework)
Success of the film lies in the sheer prowess of its actors in doing supreme justice to the characters they are playing. Brilliant work by Director in ensuring that entire ensemble of actors is made to follow his vision.
Every character(however small) is given importance; each one of them would leave a deep impact on you and blends perfectly with the story.
Watch Elijah woods playing a psycho killer(I guess I’ve kinda stuck to this ‘psycho’ thing) who looks like an innocent devil(his acts describe him best) post this; you would never be able to sympathise with Frodo in ‘LOTR’.
Director knows what he has to do with his characters; women are shown ultra glamorous and excellent warriors… Men transcend conventional human traits and cross the thin line that divides heroes and super heroes.
Action sequences are brilliantly choreographed(some how they are funny but don’t look silly; in fact the story & presentation makes everything credible)
Every scene unfolds like a story is being narrated… A commentary about characters, situations, history and their psychology…(It’s like listening to a story… but a devilishly scary one)
Heavy thrust on dialogues(and amazing ones), which seamlessly give that extra punch to every scene.
Watching this film is like reading a dark comic book where creatures from hell entertain/scare you with their ghoulish acts(only difference is; in ‘Sin city’ these creatures are common people and you will hate them for their acts; and if it entertains you… then their sins become a ‘virtue’… this theory makes the film commercially viable and ensures a ‘cult’ following)
It’s Cinema – Par Excellence…