Movie Recap : Sin City

Sin City Starring : Bruce Willis, Micky Rourke, Jessica Alba, Benecio DelTorro, Elijah Wood Directed : Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn, Spy Kids) Rating : ***

SYNOPSIS I've never been a graphic novel reader (for no reason whatsoever, just never was into "that scene") but I wanted to see Sin City for no other reason than pure visual curiosity - a movie so visually mirrored to actual comic stylizations could not be missed. In that aspect the movie was superbly breathtaking. I knew nothing of the story from the novels so had no frame of reference (although I hear that there was striking similarity in the framing and setting) other than it was of the film noir genre (which by default means over the top dialogue and gratuitous gun fights). The movie truncates the novels into three separate, yet related, storylines, mixed in with grizzly cartoon violence. Highlights include a hookers army. Elijah Woods' character getting eaten alive by wolves (as he sits emotionless). Green freak man (sorry, I don't want to bother looking up his character name) getting his bits and pieces pulled off. Mickey Rourke shirtless. Decapitated DelTorro ala mode. Overall the film was eye candy, with little substance.