Sin City
April 1st, 2005 by park
Watching Frank Miller’s Sin City, you will at first be taken aback because of the nostalgic manner of speech. In an almost over-the-top acting fashion you will question if they are just bad actors, or is that the way it is supposed to be. Then you will realise that this is a film noir, inked on paper, and put back on the screen. It’s film noir the way film noir wishes it could have been. The film’s technical achievements are overshadowed by it’s superior direction and acting talent. Seriously, it’s rare for me to ever say something like this, but in a time of rare gems, Sin City is an exquisitely cut jewel.
For those of you unfamiliar with the genre, go watch some classics like Maltese Falcon, or the latter day China Town. Some things you will be looking at it the use of color (or lack thereof), lighting (long shadows, venetian slats), and even the patterns of speech seems to transform a bit.
The difference here is that it’s a bit more modern. We see more violence in front of the camera and a lot more gore. The thing that sets it apart most is the use of the techonology to make all the blood in a highly stylised, high contrast black and white. This does several things for us. It lets us watch with our eyes wide open the depravities and degradations of society. The use of the technology also lends itself to mimick the style of Frank Miller’s graphic novels. What you are seeing is a comic style brought directly to the screen, with all the enormous knockbacks and bullet holes comic book heroes manage to take and just keep going. Obviously, stuff not even remotely possible in the real world.
Some things I will tell you to look for are both performances, technology, and the back to basics use of the medium. For instance, Frank Miller makes an appearance as the priest, and pulls out a believable performance all his own. Listen to the sound effects, because even when you aren’t seeing what happens, you will hear it in crystal clarity rarely achieved in other films. That sickening sound they write in comics using onomatopoeia you will hear as though you had done the deed yourself. It’s a little disturbing at times, but I suppose it’s better than watching someone actually doing it, even if it is in black and white. Something else to note, watch very specific moments of brilliant color as they appear and disappear back into the shadows of Sin City. It really hits you much of the time as almost hallucinatory, as it appears and then sinks back into the darkness of the screen and you are left wondering if you really saw it.
It’s am amazing film, both in terms of performance, direction and in the use of a medium that has begged exploration and use. Welcome back to the world Film Noir, and thanks for giving it to us Frank.
Overall 9/10
Acting 8/10
Direction 9/10
SFX 10/10
Cinematography 8/10