Sin City - an adaptation of three of Frank Miller's graphic novels - is savage and beautiful in the same breath. It's a stylized world straight from the dark, grimy underworld of the detective genre. The women are all whores or angels; the men hard-bitten, doomed tragic-heroes or corrupt cops and dodgy politicians. Power comes from sexuality and violence; and this movie is dripping with both.But this is Hollywood staring at itself in the mirror. It's a movie that utilizes Miller's comic book world. The dialogue is in short melodramatic quips, it's in black and white with bright splashes of colour and the characters who are so stereo-typed that they're laughing at themselves.
And that's the question isn't it? Is this film laughing at it's own characterisations, or is it taking itself too seriously and thereby reinforcing violence and misogyny? For me it's uncomfortable, visually stunning and full of black humour. 4 stars.
21 comments:
This will be long and fragmented in the spirit of the film. I have been sucked in by this film cause I think its very pretty. It appealed aesthetically. The love of beauty can dull the conscience dont you think? I thought it a visually stunning piece, which I understand was filmed on a green screen. It was beautiful violence lovingly made. Much of the violence was so exaggerated that I could only laugh at its excessive bloody references to other films. I laughed. Other people probably would not laugh and think me strange (i suspect thats a given anyway). The postmodern pastiche included a response to Silence of the Lambs, in the figure of the gorgeous Rutger Hauer playing a canabalistic Bishop Roark (?)forgive spelling if wrong.) An interesting metaphor about the Catholic church devouring peoples souls and well as bodies (transubstantiation gone awry!) And a crazy inverted pscychotic version of Spiderman moving at maniacal speed played by normally good boy Elijah Wood. He eats them girls instead of saving them. Yummy. Hellboy in the figure of Marv (Mickey Rourke), who also turns out to be the inverted Christ figure of Green Mile in the electrocution scene where he is electrocuted twice ("is that the best you can do?" he says after the first go). Marv dies cause he is good (is it really goodness? "I dont hurt women", he says, just before hitting one). And Bruce Willis playing, well, Bruce Willis. A reference to Cordelia leads me of course to Lear, where that character resisted the incestuous attempt of her father to pledge her complete and utter love to him in the famous love test. Here Cordelia is reversed in an incestous desire for her father/saviour figure. Did you notice she changed ethnicity as well? as a child she is white but much more exocticised as an adult. You may have been drooling too much at the lovely Jessica Alba to notice? So many Hollywood and literary references it collapses any concept of originality in thought, It plays with and subverts the films which precede it which of course postmodernism sets out to do. There is nothing original in this world, only let us deconstruct the ones before us and reveal their underbellies.
Well, however delightful the visuals, I am discomforted and worried by the interpretation of the comic book genre and how horifically the violence of the book can render itself on film. (Didnt i just call it beautiful violence?) Film Noir always involved seedy characters and women under "question" but I wonder whether the way the film which plays with a postmodern abandon exempts it from (as Jono points out) a serious examination of the rampant misogyny of the comic book/film noir genres, in particular this one. Women are belted, murdered and mutilated by men in this film. A dog gets belted unconscious which really made me cranky. Ok, ok so men also lose their hands and their heads, at least they keep on talking and can put their hands back in their pockets. Just because the film sends itself up in its portrayal of exaggerated female sterotypes as hookers and the violence done towards them, does the knowledge that the film laughs at iself allow a slippage of violence and degradation of women to escape scrutiny? I think it may. And this is the prob with postmodernist playfulness - Kent if you read this. Just because it deconstructs itself for us, it seems to think it can amorally present the sexual objectification of women and violence towards women in the name of textual and visual play. It has been argued there are no ethics or values behind postmodernism and this film certainly displays that. Having said that, I liked it. Thats because Im postmodern. And also a traitor to the sisterhood. So crucify me. It was a ballet of chiaro/scuro violence and its seductive plays of colour dulled me into thinking it was ok, cause no one but no one would take it seriously. Until my friend told me how much her young stepson loved it. He loved it without considering any of the lofty crap above. He just liked the violence and he thought the women were hot,hot,hot, especially Nancy, the original victim of a pedophile. I collapse into guilt ridden irresolution and I go looking for nails as I know the sisters will be coming.
So saying all of that did Jessica Alba get her gear off?
no, but she does some really good dancing on a table in tight outfits in a sleazy bar....is that good enough?
Hi there,
I have surfed back to your site after a couple of months. I enjoy the controversy that your site creates in regard to films. I enjoyed the Batman Begins comments and I am starting to enjoy the Sin City comments. I am going to see Sin City on Friday so I can comment after that.
Sam
Costa Mesa
USA
Who is the tool that asked about Jessica Alba getting her gear off.
You have obviously missed the point of what our feminist friend was trying to say. The movie is so much deeper than your perverted little mind and if a naked women is what you seek then you should stick to movie theatres only found in Kings Cross and leave movies like this to the more mature viewers.
The Maturity Police
And thank you to the Maturity Police!
I was thinking that "The tool" is someone (or I suspect two) who proves the point....while the film is being clever and a person can wax lyrical about its its subversiveness, the question is: Is it a film which ultimately caters to the masculine gaze with a wide array of scantily clad women to titillate the scatty senses of inbred two-heads like "the tool"? (and no offence to either of "youse") I imagine the tool thinks he's clever, having two heads and all: Tool, to you I say quantity is not necessarily quality, and responding with an inane post about clothes removal most certainly proves it. How boring, how conventional. You could have least been a little provocative.
Why is there such a division between the two? Did I enjoy the pop culture references, self-referential playfulness and visual beauty as pointed out by 'feminist traitor'? Yep. Do I enjoy watching Jessica Alba pole dancing? Damn straight! Does one compromise the other? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Sexuality ain't bad, I just prefer it not to be blatantly stupid. In Sin City's case I'm still not sure - but geez I enjoyed it.
G'day All,
Well I'm glad Urban stone is in full swing again and off to some flying controversy. I must say I haven't seen Sin City but if a movie can create such intersting insights then I have to see it. I don't think it will be any Batman Begins but I'm keen to give it a go, especially after Jono's last entry. I thought Jessica Alba was awesome in Fantastic Four as I'm sure she will be in this. What an awesome cast on top of her aswell! Can't wait to see it so I can join in the controversy.
Ronnie Alba
Sin City......Haven't seen it, Don't want to see it!!! Refuse!!!!!
R
it should have had Jude Law in it. Then I would have loved it!
R
Police Officer Dick and Feminist Traitor,
What an honour to be refered to as "the Tool" by such fine up-standing citizens. Sex sells and I love it!!!!
What is wrong with going to a film with a leading lady as beautifl as Jessica Alba and enjoying her attributes.
Feminist Traitor, I agree that quantity is not necessarily quality. Jessica has smaller breasts and I think they are great. Any size will do fine, but not more than a hand full for me.
I also wish to discuss pierceings. I do like a naval pierceing. Jessica's looks fine. What about you my feminist friend, what pierceings do you have?
Officer Dick, Get over yourself. You need to get out more and enjoy the female phyique!!!
The Tool
Hey Ronnie,
I don't remember all the cast getting on to her.......
Tool,
I knew this guy that got his bum pierced.....He couldn't take a dump for week.
This will be my final post as the Feminist Traitor. I am exceedingly irritated with the sexism so far:
I in fact have a navel piercing which, as a supposed connoisseur of piercings, I am sure the Tool would enjoy, - except for the fact that he likes NAVAL piercings so I will let the navy boys know Tool. Expect calls soon. I assure you my navel piercing however, looks great, flashes brilliantly, particularly at the gym where all the guys check it out. I know the guys are checking it out. They look at me like a prime piece of meat in a supermarket. The guys at the gym look great too though. We check them out too. You have no idea what rippling muscles can do to a woman, if thats all she is interested in. Meat without a brain. Cant beat it. We can look at you just like you look at us. And we do too. Believe me we do. Small breasts? Here we go again. My point Tool was your smallness of mind. I will leave it there cause Im going to start wondering about what is small about you next.
As for the split, I have no problem with sexuality Andrew, - it was me that pointed out Jessica's appeal in the first place. I am all for celebrating beauty wherever I find it. If you recall, Batman was all about the subconsious of sex for me. But if you think pole dancing, gyrating like a piece of meat in front of a bunch of men is beautiful sexuality, then so be it. Voyeuristic elements and pack mentality increase sexual titillation i suppose. But if I were a man, I would ask myself if it were my wife, my girlfriend, my partner, my loved one who was doing that for a job would I drooling along with all the other men in that sleezy bar? or putting up posts on how much I liked watching it? nah I dont think so.
Just one more thing before I go: If we go back to the storyline for a minute, Jessica/Nancy is a former child victim of a pedophile. The movie is articulating a well documented phenomenon - that women who are sexually abused as children often end up working in the sex industry, as prostitutes, doing sleazy jobs like lapdancing, or poledancing or doing porn. Maybe you could all think of that next time?
Liliana, I can understand you irritation at the direction of this discussion. Anonymous fellas, very predictable so far.
And thanks for the reminder of the Nancy/Jessica story line. This is one of the reasons I enjoyed Sin City - it paraded the usual suspects before us, but twisted the story around to see some of the reality behind our own obsessions with sex and violence. I don't think it's called Sin City simply because there's dark stuff happening. The whole postmodern reference to the viewer/voyeur is fairly strong.
So your question of the Nancy/Jessica character - How would I react if it was my daughter/sister/lover up there? Of course I'd hate it! But to deny that I found her attractive would equally be hypocritical. I think that one of the strengths of the movie is that it blows up the whole gender construction issue very starkly. Women as whores and/or angels, women as victims and/or powerful valkries. The question still sits though - has it challenged or reinforced the issue? From me it does both; I fall for the stereotypes and recognise the challenge to them at the same time.
Call me messed up - but I think that's the very issue of gender and sexuality that it' trying to address.
Did the movie make any reference to the fact that some frogs change gender upon maturity? maybe someone is out there breeding humans that have this genetic trait (all named anonymous) and they are male whilst immature, unable to write or comprehend any more than 10 to 20 lines, and upon maturity, they change to feminists who can write a novel at the drop of a hat, turning against all immaturity, as they join the maturity poilce, like they had never been that way themselves.
having said that, I'd like to see the 'feminist traitor' and 'the tool' sit down and have a polite intellegent conversation on the merits of tolerance and respect for those with differing opinions. except for the guy who got his bum pierced, goose.
Ronnie Alba, don't give up your day job, you write like 'Batman Rocks'.
After reading all these posts, I'm still not sure what the hell this movie is about, and not sure if i want to. I'm just a confused little amphibian with a short attention span,
Would anyone mind if I stopped now?
Capt. Smollett
Ok Smollett,
You have outed me again, yes I am Batman Rocks!!!! But I am also Jessica Alba'a older brother Ronnie, so be careful you big poo!!!
Man this site is full on. I do love the controversy but I would like to have a bit of a say on the whole thing. I haven't seen Sin City yet because the bloke I was supposed to see it with saw it without me.....Joking. But I have had a bit of first hand experience with a girl I knew who was a stripper. I met her in a bar in Qld. I sat down for hours and chatted to her about her profession and why she did it. After hours of a full on discussion She confided in me about her past.....Shocking mate absolutley shocking. To me she was one of the most beautiful women I had ever met, not because of her looks but because of who she was underneath and how she had survived her past. I admired her so much. She taught me so much about my gender and opened my eyes to things I had no idea about. Sure I admire the female body and always will but I have to put it into perspective, there is a personality, a wonderful life behind all that and as guys we really need to learn more about that. For me that is one of the things in life I want to seek to do well, understand women and admire them for who they are. But in saying that I do need to acknowledge that as a guy a good looking lady will always catch my attention and that that is Ok with the perpective that women are gorgeous in so many different ways.
So,Tool I hear you about the whole female physique thing but we need to get a grip and put it into perspective.
Sorry about the deep and meaningful, but I thought my experience may help. Then again it may not.
Keep up the good work Jono, it is important for everyone to have their say.
Anyway, to something not so serious. Whats that certain smell. Ralph was that you???? (no it was the gender changing frogs....)
Ronnie Alba.
Batman Rocks
I was sitting talking to my girlfriend, wondering if there was one man on this earth who would put it the way you just did. I wasnt upset with the attraction stuff being articulated on this blog, just the objectification of women.
I was asking myself if there was a guy on this earth who would say something just like you said in your post.
I love that you love women the way you do. You have always been respectful towards women. You are always my superhero, always.
The above post is from me Liliana!
Heee Heee Heeee... It was meeee!!!
Not from that silly old froggy you see!!!
Or could it beee
Between you and meee
mr pierced bum's lavatreee???
ah johno
take up movie reviewing full-time.
craig
mountain masala
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