Sin City - A Film Summary and review (Podcast Notes)

This is a listener requested film that I had not seen but enjoyed watching as a result.
Thank you to Doug out there for requesting this review. It works on many levels the main ones being the neo-noir style narration, the graphic novel look and unicolor approach, and the actors cast in this movie.
Sin City (2005)
R | 2h 4min | Crime, Thriller | 1 April 2005 (USA)

Watch Now
On Netflix
From $1.99 (SD) on Prime Video
A film that explores the dark and miserable town, Basin City, and tells the story of three different people, all caught up in violent corruption.
Directors: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez | 1 more credit »
Writer: Frank Miller (graphic novels)
Stars: Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Bruce Willis
Directors and background: There are 3 directors.

Frank Miller

Sin City (TV Series) (graphic novels - 2018) (announced)

Robert Rodriguez

Special guest director Quentin Tarantino

So, now let’s listen to the trailer for this film: Trailer

History of the movie
Based on Frank Miller’s comics/graphic novels.

Actors
The film stars an ensemble cast led by Jessica Alba, Benicio del Toro, Brittany Murphy, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, and Elijah Wood, and featuring Alexis Bledel, Michael Clarke Duncan, Rosario Dawson, Carla Gugino, Rutger Hauer, Jaime King, Michael Madsen, Nick Stahl, and Makenzie Vega among others.

As the story begins, you have several intertwined tales that you think will amount to some larger, coherent meaning. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t but that’s what the directors tried to do. It’s amount to reading a comic that takes you through several locations possibly dealing with a central theme or villain. It looks very gothic novel from the get go and I liked that. Everything is dark. There are very few grays. It is either black and white or another well-chosen color like red, yellow, or white thrown in to accent some action or point in the plot. Usually this is blood but it is often eyes, the street, a woman’s brooch, or other well-chosen thing. This effect is done very well. It made me feel like I was in a dream. It turns out the Cannes film festival gave this film an award based on its visuals. Another aspect you get right away and throughout is what Wikipedia calls “Neo Noir.” I would have just called it Noir. It is set in locations that are flat and drab like you might find in a Humphrey Bogart film. The actors voices are used to narrate thoughts and this is used much more than traditional talking in a role. It’s all very creepy and it transports you to another place very effectively.

In the first scene a man is wooing a woman and appears to care for her only to reveal soon he is a hit man and he actually kisses then kills her. He coldly says “I’d cash her check the next morning.” Jessica Alba is in this but figures prominently in the final acts only. Brittany Murphy is Shelly in this. I was so impressed by her. Hollywood lost a beautiful and talented woman actor when she passed away. She was taken far too young. This movie doesn’t feature her prominently but there is enough of her to really see the kind of talent she had. She’s as hot as a cat on a roof and she can work it too. I really enjoyed her scenes.

So, before too long we have the main gist of the story beginning.

Hardigan, Bruce Willis, is a Cop thinking about retirement. He has a bum ticker and he’s too old to be pulling his style of vigilantism on the streets. There is an 11-year-old girl getting raped by that is likely to be raped by some psychopath running the town. Hardigan is determined to prevent that from happening. The girl is the character who would later be played by Jessica Alba.