When you think of comic book film adaptations, superheroes like Spiderman, Superman or Batman spring to mind. When it comes to Sin City, however, there’s something far darker going on.

Sin City tells three different stories, all intertwined. The first concerns Marv (80’s pin-up Mickey Rourke) who is framed for the murder of a prostitute. He then exacts a ferocious revenge on those who are behind her death. His vengeance leads him to the creepy cannibal Kevin (Elijah Wood). The second tale is of Dwight (Clive Owen) who is after ‘predator’ Jack (Benicio Del Toro). He follows him into an area of the city ruled by prostitutes and so begins a violent turf war. The final tale is of Hartigan (Bruce Willis) who saves a young girl from the clutches of a paedophile. Sent to prison for crimes he didn’t commit, he maintains contact with the girl. 8 years later he’s released as her life is in danger yet again.
Sin City, is like nothing you will have seen before. This is a comic book adaptation in the most explicit meaning of the term. The film looks and sounds like a comic book. It’s mostly black and white with odd touches of colour. Sin City is a place, like Gotham City, which bears some resemblance to our world yet is based around different rules. As with most comic books, injustice reigns and villains co-exist. But unlike most, there’s no caped crusader to save the day.

Despite being shot in black and white, most of the morals in the film are decidedly grey. In Sin City, no-one comes off clean. Mickey Rourke makes a fantastic comeback in the first of three stories. His large physical presence and dark cynicism make him a unique anti-hero. His tale concerns the traditional false accusation story which pervaded through many nourish films of the 40s. While it does start off feeling like such a film, the shift into violent cannibalism gives it a wholly original and surprising feel. Elijah Wood makes for a creepy villain. Mute but vicious, you’ll put all Middle Earth memories at bay.

The second tale contains yet another star-making turn from Clive Owen. He’s surrounded by able support from Brittany Murphy and Rosario Dawson. Complaints have been made that the female figures in the film are less than equal to their male counterparts. But the female gang in this chapter give Rourke, Willis and Owen a bloodthirsty run for their money.

The final chapter contains the most depth of all three and another memorable villain in the paedophile turned ‘Yellow Bastard’, played by Terminator 3’s Nick Stahl. Jessica Alba is beautiful but vacant while Bruce Willis does what he does best.

The film is a cult classic already and contains enough quotable lines and memorable scenes to deserve such a status. There’s little deep feeling for many of the characters but then when is there ever much feeling for comic books? The film is visually stunning and compelling throughout. The comic book storylines may be simple but they’re undeniably efficient at maintaining attention. The limited colour palette creates a barrage of striking images which will infect the public psyche in such a way not seen since Uma Thurman tried on her yellow tracksuit for size. Surely a contender for the coolest film of the year.

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