Sin City Is Probably The Best Comic Book Movie That People Don't Still Rave About, And I Aim To Fix That

Like a lot of people, I grew up reading comic books. I was into Marvel, but by the mid-90s, I was super into Image Comics (Oh, and rest in peace, Sam Kieth, creator of The Maxx–are we ever getting that movie, by the way?).

There were a select few names in the business that pretty much every comic book fan knew, such as Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, and, of course, Frank Miller. Now, when it comes to Miller, you might know him from his work on stuff like Batman or Daredevil. But for me, Miller will always be the guy who created Sin City.

And, when it comes to the 2005 movie adaptation from the legend, Robert Rodriguez, I'm always shocked that more people don't talk about it, given that it's one of the best comic book adaptations ever, so I aim to fix that.

The Inventive Plot Structure Keeps The Story Intriguing Throughout

Do you want to know my favorite comic book movie? Dredd, starring Karl Urban. Do you want to know my second favorite? The third Punisher movie (You know, the one starring Ray Stevenson). Here’s the thing about those movies. They both took massive creative liberties with the source material. I enjoyed them as films, sure, but not so much as direct adaptations from the comics.

Sin City, on the other hand, is probably the most faithful adaptation of a comic book series EVER (and definitely one of the best non-superhero comic book movies of all time). I bet this is because Frank Miller is actually a co-director of the movie (as well as a frequent Robert Rodriguez collaborator, Quentin Tarantino). What makes this movie special is that it doesn’t just cover one book in the series, but rather, MULTIPLE books, those being Books 1, 2, and 4 (with Book 3, A Dame to Kill For, being the primary basis for the second movie, which is fine, but not nearly as engaging as this one).

In this way, 2005’s Sin City is an anthology movie, which makes it feel super unique and different from any other comic book film. The various stories - those being “The Customer Is Always Right” (Parts I and II), “That Yellow Bastard” (Parts I and II), “The Hard Goodbye” (which is my favorite), and “The Big Fat Kill” - are all exceptional, and there isn’t a weak link throughout the entire film.

It all just works, and it’s never boring, as the inventive, anthology plot structure just doesn’t allow it to be.

Mickey Rourke Honestly Should Have Been Nominated For An Oscar For His Portrayal As Marv

The whole shtick of Sin City is that it's basically a modern take on film noir, and it somehow ended up being one of the best film noirs ever. I think a large part of this is because of two particular actors, those being Bruce Willis, who plays the hardboiled detective, John Hartigan, and then a massive man named Marv, played by Mickey Rourke.

Now, Willis' character is great as a vehicle for the overall narrative, as what noir film doesn’t have some kind of detective? However, I think the true star of this film is Mickey Rourke, as his portrayal of Marv just hits all of the right buttons for me. It’s just everything about him: The way he looks, the way he sounds, the way he calls his hands his “mitts,” and just the overall way he carries himself truly makes me think that he deserved an Oscar nomination for this performance.

His story, in particular, “The Hard Goodbye,” fits nicely toward the middle of the movie. In the chapter, he’s being framed for a murder that he didn’t commit, and it feels all sorts of film noirish. However, Rourke’s intimidating size is larger than life here, and we see the full range of emotions from his character all the way up to his ultimate demise in the electric chair.

It’s one of the best performances in a comic book movie ever, and I’m surprised that more people don’t bring it up. In fact, I’m surprised that people don’t bring up the other performances in this movie as well.

All Of The Acting Is Top Notch

Sin City probably has one of the most stacked casts for a comic book movie I’ve ever seen. Sure, we would get The Avengers films later, which were just chock full of movie stars, but who doesn’t want to play Captain America, Spider-Man, or Black Widow? Of course those films are going to get big names in Hollywood. However, it's a whole other matter entirely that we’d get somebody like Clive Owen to play a general unknown like Dwight McCarthy, Rosario Dawson to play the leader of a band of prostitutes, or Nick Stahl playing a brightly yellow character referred to as…that yellow bastard.

The beautiful thing is that every actor commits to playing the denizens of this corrupt and dirty city. In fact, much like Baltimore itself is the main character of The Wire, Sin City itself is the main character of this film, with each character playing a role in its many chapters. But, even if you’ve never read Sin City, the film does an excellent job of feeling like a film noir, and it’s because all of the actors are spectacular in it.

I especially love Rutger Hauer as Cardinal Patrick Henry Roark, or Benicio del Toro as “Jackie Boy”. They don’t have the biggest parts in the world, but they definitely stand out. Or, what about Jessica Alba as Nancy Callahan, who is the grown-up version of a younger character we meet earlier in the story? She might just seem like eye candy, but she really commits to selling the idea that she’s come from a hard upbringing.

The point is, all of the acting is great, and it makes this movie stand out.

I Like How The Film Still Looks Like No Other

Another thing that I’m surprised more people don’t talk about is the overall look of this film. I mean, what other comic book movie looks like Sin City? Yes, I know Miller tried to replicate the style when he directed The Spirit, but for some reason, that movie just felt too clean in its appearance. It wasn’t grungy enough.

And, I think that’s important. It’s not just that Sin City is black and white, with moments of bright colors, just like the comic series. It’s also that the color palette paints the overall bleakness of this world, and it wouldn’t be nearly as effective if it were fully in color. In fact, I think the overall design does a lot of the legwork when it comes to getting this world across, making it feel literally ripped right off the pages.

For example, I’m a big fan of Ang Lee’s Hulk movie, and I especially like how some of the film utilized panels. But, what I especially love about Sin City is that the whole movie feels like it came right off the page, with some shots almost direct replicas of scenes from Frank Miller’s original stories.

It’s yet another reason why this film is so faithful to the source material - it looks just like it!

In The End, Sin City Still Holds Up Incredibly Well

I know the movie came out over 20 years ago, but it still holds up!

The stories still work, it’s still incredibly pulpy, and the visuals all still hold up. Roger Ebert originally gave the movie four stars, and it deserved it.

In fact, it still deserves it. Sin City is a four-star film, never mind it being “a comic book movie”.

So, watch it again if you haven’t in a while. It deserves your love.