"Sin City" Provides Lesson in Flawless Filmmaking

By Ian Rice
Arts and Lifestyle Editor


If you want a complete blueprint of how to make a film with dazzling style, abundant substance and flawless performances, you need to look no further than Robert Rodriguez' "Sin City." The film (based on Frank Miller's series of graphic novels) is all of the aforementioned things, all in one dazzling package. "Sin City" is what all filmmakers dream of and what all actors strive to be a part of: a pure piece of artistic and cinematic magic. And it was almost never made.


Author Frank Miller kept a lock on "Sin City" and his other comic creations, following a "bad experience" in Hollywood during the early '90's. He refused to option any of his titles to movie studios in what can only be described as an extreme act of integrity. Enter Robert Rodriguez (of "Desperado" and "From Dusk Till Dawn" fame), who took a significant chunk of his own bankroll and financed a short film based on Miller's "Sin City" graphic novels in an effort to audition for the right to make them into a feature-length film. This short (which became the opening sequence to "Sin City" and featured actor Josh Hartnett) was given to Frank Miller with the understanding that if he liked it, Rodriguez would be the director. If Miller didn't approve, he would, according to Rodriguez, have a nice short film based on his work to show his friends.


Luckily, Miller was more than impressed with Rodriguez' short and production for "Sin City" was underway. Fast-forward to earlier this month, when "Sin City" was released to movie theaters everywhere, effectively knocking any other theatrical foray off of the radar. After all, how could any other film even register in the hearts and minds of audiences nationwide when "Sin City" is available for consumption? It's an impossibility.


To reveal too many details about "Sin City" would be to ruin the film for those who have yet to see it. Like revenge (which comprises a great deal of the film's storylines), "Sin City" is a dish best served cold, without any idea of what's about to unfold. This is not to say that the film does not hold up over repeated viewings. I personally saw the movie twice in the span of three days and it was equally as mesmerizing during the second viewing. But part of the film's magic lies in its ability to completely blindside the viewer upon first seeing it, leaving him firmly glued to the edge of his seat from scene to scene.


So, here's what I can reveal to you without spoiling the aforementioned prerequisite for your first "Sin City" screening: it is shot in "Pleasantville" style, which is black-and-white with subtle bursts of color in the appropriate places; it is painstakingly faithful to Frank Miller's original graphic masterpieces; it contains dynamite performances from Bruce Willis (who hasn't been this strong in years), Benicio Del Toro, Mickey Rourke, Devon Aoki, Jessica Alba, Alexis Bledel and Rosario Dawson; it features a guest director spot from Quentin Tarantino (who needs no further introduction). That's all I can tell you about "Sin City" in good conscience. Any more and I will have ruined the film for you.


What're you waiting for? You should be at the theater by now.