Sin City

After the not-so-great Spy Kids trilogy, Robert Rodriguez reached for the comic book source material and, in collaboration with Frank Miller and Quentin Tarantino, made one of his best, if not his best film. The visuals are absolutely perfect, wonderfully capturing the raw atmosphere of the comic book. There are no issues with the cast either – Rourke ("That there is one damn fine coat you're wearin’.") Owen, Willis, Del Toro... What’s more, the individual stories are told with a reasonable amount of hyperbole, so it's nice that Sin City doesn't take itself too seriously. And that's part of the reason I’m giving it 5 stars – the film doesn't mess around, it's a faithful copy of Miller's comic, it impresses with elaborate visuals and a more than pleasant cast, and the direction does exactly what is expected of it. The few apt dry lines are just icing on the cake. 95% (03/27/2009)

What a great experience! Captivating comic-book stylisation, great characters and a very entertaining story. With someone dying almost every minute, there’s a constant parade of new characters, but it doesn’t come with the problems associated with the need of introducing someone new all the time, it comes at neck-breaking speed. I don’t know why I postponed watching this film for so long. 9/10 (06/06/2009)

Likely the most faithful comic book adaptation in a live-action film. Zack Snyder tried hard with Watchmen, but it just didn't work there. Nor did it in this case. Frank Miller drew the comic cinematically, and Robert Rodriguez understood that, bringing each frame to life, giving faces of well-known actors to the characters, and creating a contemporary noir. Or maybe even the future. Beautifully stylized, beautifully gritty, and incredibly entertaining. Yes, I have a soft spot for Rodriguez just like I do for Tarantino, and his action-packed B-movies are simply captivating. We’ll do this again sometime. (01/22/2014)

When a devoted director decides to adapt my most beloved comic book, frame by frame, with such an array of talented actors, it can only result in the highest rating. Bruce Willis and Clive Owen were simply born for Hartigan and Dwight. (04/16/2006)

Black and white paper cut-outs in action. So far the most faithful, but unfortunately not the best ever comic book adaptation. Unlike the hard copy version, this lacks atmosphere. The extreme imbalance between all parts of this adds to the disappointment - especially the fluctuating quality of separate tales and of acting performances are particularly frustrating. What works in the comic book looks at best “interesting" here, if it doesn’t actually annoy you (for instance the monologs - less is more or, put otherwise: why repeat what killed the original version of Blade Runner?). Up until the end of “The Hard Goodbye", there isn’t much to fault, but then things go haywire, and everything turns 180 degrees. It’s certainly worth watching, the creators did it their way and, if they learn from their mistakes before the sequel, next time it really could be what we are waiting for. (04/17/2005)