Sin City (Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez)

On a purely visceral, juvenile, and violence-and-boob-loving level, I had a great time watching this movie, and I don't mean that in a sniffy, condescending way. It's one of the best Hollywood action movies I've seen in a long time. Visually, it's beautiful, and the actors look like they're having a great time, which can only extend to the audience. I was happily entertained for the full two-plus hours of running time, and I was thrilled by the black and white (with occasional bursts of color) comic-book/noir atmosphere. It's also nice to see Mickey Rourke in a successful movie again. That guy's a great actor. This is Robert Rodriguez's best film by several hundred miles. Still, I have to wonder about a guy like Rodriguez. He seems completely uninterested in human beings, and that's suspicious for a guy who makes his living as an artist. "Sin City" has a dark edge and a visual beauty that's missing from his other films, but is big, loud, empty action all Rodriguez is capable of? If so, "Sin City" probably won't be topped by anything else he's got in the works. For what it attempts, it succeeds admirably, and it's a hell of a lot of fun.

On the opposite side of the coin, J. Hoberman's review in the Village Voice is thoughtful and well-written. He hated it, and though I agree with a lot of what he says, I still think it's a great movie.