by Jared Allen

Created on: March 12, 2010

If you’re looking for a darkly movie that doesn’t skimp on the violence, this is it. Sin City combines the originality of films such as Casablanca with modern regality, sexy dialogue, and unforgettable characters.

Based on the graphic novels by Frank Miller in the 90s, Sin City has become one of the most celebrated graphic novels of all time. The plot: there are four.

(PLOT ONE)

The movie opens with The Salesman (Josh Hartnett) and The Customer (Marley Shelton), one of the novels intriguing, yet, least described characters. They mainly show the attitude of Sin City, and what type of people live there.

(PLOT TWO)

Marv (Mickey Rourke) is an alcoholic parolee with a bad temper; he soon finds out that his true love was murdered in the same room as him, not even bludgeoned. He realizes that it is a set up for the worse, orchestrated by the renowned Roark family, and Kevin (Elijah Wood). Kevin is a silent sociopath who eats human flesh. He is the Roark’s bodyguard and pity case, but also their do-dirt guy. Marv seeks upon the help of his parole officer Lucille (Carla Gugino) and his female friend Nancy Callahan (Jessica Alba), only to realize that the Roark family is highly secured and watching his every move. When things couldn’t get any more bizarre, Marv also accepts the help of Goldie’s twin sister Wendy, and the Old Town girls before the final battle.

(PLOT THREE)

Dwight McCarthy (Clive Owen) is a lovable fellow with a chip up his sleeve and a gun in his holster. When his new attraction (Brittany Murphy*) gets him involved in a little foul play with an old flame Jackie Boy (Benicio del Toro), it leads Dwight fighting for his respect and the women he loves in Old Town, where Jackie Boy and his gang decide to wreak havoc. Old Town is a red-light district where the women are the law amongst themselves. Gail (Rosario Dawson) is the head prostitute, who is also an old flame of Dwight’s. The night expands into a bloodbath, leaving the girls helpless and betrayed. Dwight, however, steps in to save them.

(PLOT FOUR)

Jack Hartigan (Bruce Willis) is a retired cop in prison, accused of raping a little girl. Actually, he saved her from Roark Jr. on his last day before retirement, shooting him into a coma. The Roark family made sure that Hartigan did his time, and the only reason why he agreed upon it was to keep Nancy Callahan safe. But when the letters she anonymously sends him stop arriving, he begins to panic. He lies about the accusation in order to free himself from prison, returning to Sin City to find her. Little does he know the surprise was the fact that it was a trap, leading the healed Roark Jr., now transformed into a yellow monster, to Nancy.

A favorite cult classic with tremendous effects and memorable quotes, Sin City will leave you breathless (literally). So turn the volume up, pop some corn, grab a soda, and enjoy the ride!

Sin City is available on DVD format, and also special TWO DISC Boxed-Set with The Hard Goodbye graphic novel.

*There is scheduled to be a 2010 sequel, but with the recent death of actress Brittany Murphy, her iconic role will most likely be written out of the script.

Au revoir!

Learn more about this author, Jared Allen.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.