If this film had been shot and produced in the same manner as conventional films, it would have been a failure. The saving grace of this neo-noir comic book film is its style and art direction. Sin City is a visual masterpiece that really looks like a comic book in motion. Because of this, some of the effects that would seem laughable in any other film are laudable here.
Sin City accomplishes a rare feat for me- it is a film that I nearly fell asleep watching, but rather enjoyed. The high concept and suspenseful payoff at the end of this installment make up for the weighty, overblown and overlong feel this movie carries through much of the middle. Under normal circumstances, this film would have been at least a whole star lower on my scale. It’s uncommon for technical aspects to save a film, and should certainly not be tried more often, because it usually won’t work.
This film is mainly for readers of the Sin City series of comic books (the industry would like me to refer to them as graphic novel, but I don't really care) and for those who enjoy high concept comic book film adaptations (of which there are few). It can be hard to follow at first, because Sin City brings you into an already living world. Nothing is explained to you about this world’s construct except through dialog. It takes a few minutes to get used to, but more focused viewers will catch on quick.
If this film had been shot and produced in the same manner as conventional films, it would have been a failure. The saving grace of this neo-noir comic book film is its style and art direction. Sin City is a visual masterpiece that really looks like a comic book in motion. Because of this, some of the effects that would seem laughable in any other film are laudable here.
