Sin City

SYNOPSIS

Frank Miller's hard-boiled comic book Sin City comes to spectacular life in this directorial collaboration with film-maker Robert Rodriguez. Shot in black and white with occasional splashes of colour, the pulpy thriller meticulously re-creates three interlinked stories in the neo-noir crime series. In each segment, cops, criminals and femmes fatales blur the lines between good and evil as they collide in love, lust or gory conflict. Bruce Willis brings poignancy as the disgraced ex-cop shielding dancer Jessica Alba from a deformed maniac, while tough private eye Clive Owen's brutal clash with rival suitor Benicio Del Toro adds a streak of gallows humour. However, it's a barely recognisable Mickey Rourke who steals the show, playing a soft-hearted ex-con out to avenge his sweetheart's murder. Stylistically the movie is a masterpiece, with its astonishing visuals papering over a repetitious plot and some corny dialogue. It won't suit every taste, but genre fans will be blown away.