“Sin City” Review | Dated Noir that’s Worth a Dame
Spoilers beware.
If anyone knows anything about Frank Miller as a writer, it’s that his stories aren’t for the faint of heart. The Dark Knight Returns, Daredevil: Born Again, 300, Sin City…they’re all stories steeped in darkness, where the worlds they inhabit exist on the brink of utter madness and collapse. This 2005 adaptation of the revered neo-noir anthology graphic novel, co-directed by Miller and Robert Rodriguez, certainly remains faithful to the original Sin City, both in its black-and-white visuals, shot composition, and overall story. The result is a film that, while mean and bleak in ways that push the boundaries of what feels tasteful to see, features a splendid ensemble, highly distinct visuals, and a world that feels as captivating as it is brutally apathetic.
In the world of Sin City, once you walk down that dark alley, you never know who you’ll run into. Maybe it’s an aging cop, intent on protecting the life of a young girl from the evil of a senator’s son. Perhaps you’ll come across a former inmate, on the run from cops and hit men after sleeping with a woman named “Goldie” only to wake up the next morning to find her dead. Or better yet, you’ll find someone caught in the crossfire of a war between prostitutes and mercenaries, mobs, even the police. Sin City is a world of crime, death, and sex — once you accept…
