Robert Rodríguez is an intriguing filmmaker. Not only does he take on the typical tasks of producing, directing and writing his films, he also frequently serves as editor, director of photography, camera operator, steadicam operator, composer, production designer, visual effects supervisor, and sound editor. Never too concerned with differentiating it all, he often just abbreviates his numerous roles in the following way, “shot, chopped, and scored by Robert Rodriguez.” He truly seems to be a guy for whom the act of making a film is more important than the accolades. I mention this because he co-directed 2005’s Sin City, an adaptation of Frank Miller’s comic books with Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction).
Further, during pre-production on the film, Rodríguez had insisted that Frank Miller be given the right to co-direct the film with him, because he felt the visual style of Miller’s comic art to be just as important as his, in the film. The Directors Guild of America said no, insisting that only “legitimate teams” could share the director’s credit (e.g. the Wachowski Brothers). Rodríguez chose to resign from the DGA, stating, “It was easier for me to quietly resign before shooting because otherwise I’d be forced to make compromises I was unwilling to make or set a precedent that might hurt the guild later on.”
Despite those issues, Rodríguez turned out one of his finest films to date. Sin City is a movie based on a series of comic book adventures, which in turn were inspired by some of America’s greatest mystery writers of the of the 20th Century, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillane as well as the Hollywood’s film noir of the forties and early fifties. However, unlike the censorship that Hollywood faced in those days, nothing in Sin City is cleaned up; the blood, guts, filth and debauchery is there, for all to see.
Bookmarked by a short of sorts involving a suave hit man (Josh Hartnett) and his prey, Sin City is divided into three nonlinear, overlapping stories. The first, involves a huge Neanderthal type character named Marv (Mickey Rourke), who is after the murderer of his true love. Marv is yet another incarnation of Raymond Chandler’s Moose Malloy from Farewell My Lovely. Don’t be surprised if you barely recognize Rourke, as he’s wearing a prosthetic forehead, nose, and chin that turn him into an absolute hulk. However, even though he may be a crude beast, he would never hurt a woman; therefore, when someone kills the love of his life, named Goldie (Jaime King), nothing will stop him from getting revenge. Rourke does some solid work here and Elijah Wood as a cannibal is something to see.
Next, we meet Dwight (Clive Owen), a murderer with a new face who’s barmaid girlfriend Shellie (Brittany Murphy) is receiving unwanted attention from her ex-boyfriend Jackie Boy (Benicio del Toro), he finds himself knee deep in at the hands of a hooker-with-a-machine-gun named Gail (Rosario Dawson). But when Dwight, Gail, and the rest of the girls (Devon Aoki and Alexis Bledel, among others) realize Jackie was actually a police officer, they have to ditch his body, avoid a thug named Manute (Michael Clarke Duncan) and preserve the already tenuous peace of the alleys. Maybe Miller put this part in to balance out the other sections were many women die but it’s nice to see the ladies kicking some butt here.
The third story involves an aging police detective, Hartigan (Bruce Willis), who’s about to retire but wants to finish up one last case before he does. He’s determined to put a pedophile-killer (Nick Stahl) behind bars, even though the killer is the son of a U.S. Senator (Powers Boothe), who protects his son, no matter the cost. Hartigan is alsodetermined to save the life of a girl, Nancy (Mackenzie Vega and as the character grows older, Jessica Alba), who is the killer’s latest victim. Hartigan is your typical hard-ass good guy, steadfastly honest and as tough as they come. Naturally, he’s a stereotype; he’s supposed to be a stereotype; all of these characters are stereotypes, which is why we love them. Probably the best role in this episode, however, is that of the miscreant, a sickly, gnomelike eunuch referred to in the closing credits only as “Yellow Bastard.”
Sin City is particularly effective in its use of black-and-white photography to recreate the appearance of Miller’s graphic novels. It serves the purpose not only of reminding viewers of the books but of deepening the horror of the stories’ noir atmosphere. To set it off, the black-and-white is punctuated by occasional snippets of color: a red dress here splashes of blood there, or, most effectively, the only character entirely tinted, the “Yellow Bastard.” These touches and a few actual animations, make each frame look as though it were set in a comic book.
Sin City boasts a phenomenal, reference level 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer. Every frame of Rodriguez’s stark cinematography has been meticulously reproduced, his injections of color leap off the screen and his enveloping gray gradients are impeccably precise. Even though deep blacks and harsh whites dominate the picture, crush is never an unintentional issue, artifacting isn’t a factor and contrast is spot on from beginning to end. Detail is absolutely stunning — skin and fabric look fantastic, textures are earthy and refined, and object definition is incredibly sharp.
Disney’s DTS-HD Master Lossless Audio 5.1 surround track is phenomenal. Narration thunders with aggressive subwoofer support, dialogue is naturally distributed across the front channels, and prioritization is flawless. Low-end bass tones are powerful. The rear speakers can hardly contain their relegated activity — barreling winds rush across the -immersive soundfield without a hitch. Disney’s lossless track elevates Sin City to a new level of home theater enjoyment.
The Blu-ray edition of Sin City not only provides fans with two, full-length renditions of Rodriguez’s film — an R-rated theatrical cut and an unrated, extended version that adds some 23 minutes to the film — it allows viewers to explore the production in a variety of ways.
Disc One includes:
• The Complete Theatrical Cut of the Film (HD, 124 minutes)
• Cine-Explore Interactive Visual Commentary: A captivating PiP track that uses several windows to showcase green-screen footage from the film’s principal photography, artwork from Miller’s original comic series, and other interesting material from pre and post production.
• Audio Commentary with Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller: An informative and engaging discussion between the co-directors that covers the gamut of the production.
• Audio Commentary with Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino: Surprisingly dull, though Bruce Willis does drop by.
• Audience Reaction Track: A unique audio track that allows you to watch the film while listening to the enthusiastic reaction of an Austin, Texas crowd experiencing it all for the first time.
Disc Two includes:
• The Complete Recut, Extended, and Unrated Version of the Film (HD, 147 minutes)
• Rodriguez Special Features (SD, 58 minutes): Dropping five featurettes into one collection, Disney places one of the better supplements on the second disc. Film School looks at the ways Rodriguez interpreted Miller’s art on film, All Green Screen Version is an accelerated look at the entire film sans special effects, The Long Take digs into a fourteen minute Tarantino take, Live in Concert finds Bruce Willis performing with his band while shooting the film, and Cooking School gives Rodriguez the odd opportunity to explain how to make his patented breakfast tacos.
• Kill ’em Good (HD): An exclusive, interactive comicbook that combines dialogue from the film, artwork, and a few gimmicky arcade segments to produce a decent experience worth a few minutes of your time.
• How It Went Down (SD, 6 minutes): This all-too-short featurette documents Rodriguez’s at-times creepy pursuit of Miller’s permission to adapt Sin City for the big screen.
• Special Guest Director, Quentin Tarantino (SD, 7 minutes): An overview of Tarantino’s time on the set, his contributions to the film, and his hesitance to use digital cameras.
• A Hard Top with a Decent Engine (SD, 8 minutes): A glimpse at the various classic cars that appear throughout the film.
• Booze, Broads, and Guns (SD, 11 minutes): A look at the practical props the actors used while shooting scenes on Rodriguez’s green-screen sets.
• Making the Monsters (SD, 9 minutes): Prosthetic applications and make-up are covered at length.
• Trenchcoats & Fishnets (SD, 8 minutes): Costumes get a similar treatment.
• Theatrical Trailers (SD, 5 minutes)
• D-Box Motion Functionality
