Sin City

Another of the early Summer's hits, but this time one I missed, much to my regret, at the cinema. What was I thinking not going to check this out? The trailer was superb, the cast a knockout and the concept right up my deserted, rain soaked alley... Maybe I was thinking that I didn't want to be let down - there was so much hype around at the time and a lot of other stuff to see, and I think I was waiting for enough good reviews, until I'd left it too late. A shame because visually it was designed for the big screen and I'm sure I would have got a big visceral buzz from it - at home, well, with the volume up loud, it was easy to get immersed in the seedy world of Frank Miller that Robert Rodriguez has so faithfully reproduced. The idea of anti-heroes and a city of permanant night appeals to my dark side as much as any of the graphic novels' many fans, and in this context the ultra-violent (and they are!) scenes are tinted with a certain peotry that lies in the black parts of everyone's soul. It has a lot to live up to and for about two thirds of the way it does it in spades - to look at it is as stunning as anything you'll see and a brief glimpse into what will be possible with real actors and full CG when it becomes cheaper any easier to harness the technology for independant film-makers; acting wise, well it's stylistic and some pull it off better than others - Mickey Rouke's Marv, as reported, is the stand-out, I could have watched a whole movie of him. As a director, Rodriguez is in familiar territory that he obviously loves and garnishes with a minute attention to detail, but sometimes his vision lacks the very soul it is trying to bring to life - it just doesn't have that certain something that would make it an absolute classic, it falls short by an indefinable hair. Maybe it's the sterility of a big Weinstein Hollywood production that weighs it down, I don't know. The genre will leave many cold and do little to convert those who found the idea juvenile, but, for me, it is still a terrific film with lots to admire - if in the right mood then this is the one you reach for; turn off your brain, turn down your conscience and enjoy... 8/10 Kx