Sin City hits Blu-ray with two versions (the Theatrical edition and the Recut, Extended, Unrated edition), and looks incredible. The film is sharp, and just as mind-blowing as it was when I first saw it on DVD in 2005.
Coming off of viewing Frank Miller’s screen adaption of Will Eisner’s The Spirit, I was a little hesitant to pop Sin City in the Blu-ray player for another viewing. A few minutes into the film, I remembered why I loved this film, and that Sin City is no Spirit.
The film remains one of the best comic adaptations to come to the big screen, and the Recut, Extended, Unrated edition remains the way to watch the film (especially if you are a fan of Frank Miller’s graphic novels and writing style).
Directed by Robert Rodriguez, Miller and guest director Quentin Tarantino, Sin City leaps onto the screen with every bit of what made the books so cool and a visual style that still seems groundbreaking. The movie combines four of Miller’s Sin City stories - The Customer is Always Right, The Hard Goodbye, The Big Fat Kill, and That Yellow Bastard.
The film’s visual style sees the story shot mostly shot in black and white in front of a green screen, and featuring a huge cast – including Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Benicio Del Toro, Elijah Wood and Jessica Alba.
Sin City feels like a classic from the second the voice-over starts, and reminds you of the classic Bogart and Cagney films. Each of the stories fit into the noir style, and seem slick while maintaining the grit of the streets where they are set.
Although Rourke won accolades for his performance in The Wrestler, Sin City is where the actor made his big comeback, and he owns this movie. It is hard to see this film being as good without his presence as Marv – the tough guy from The Hard Goodbye with no qualms about killing in his pursuit of the people responsible for framing him for murder.
Rourke is an unstoppable force in Sin City, and his performance fits the film’s tone perfectly and gives the movie its needed cool factor.
The film also benefits from strong performances from Willis and Owen – who gel in the familiar tough guy rolls that seem to belong to the gangster films of Hollywood yesterday. These actors are a natural fit for such a dirty and violent city.
The Blu-ray combines the best of both worlds with smooth theatrical cut of the film and the Recut version – which allows you to pick which story you want to watch rather than in the order that the film was cut for the big screen. The Recut also features some footage that was cut from the theatrical run.
It also comes loaded with special features that take you into the making of the film through functions like Cine-Explore. There is also an interactive comic book – titled Kill ‘Em Good – which is a Blu-ray exclusive.
Frank Miller’s Sin City was one of the best comic movies to come out in a long time, and it looks even better on the Blu-ray format. The film still feels fresh and just as groundbreaking on Blu-ray’s crystal clear picture – which helps show off the story’s grit and violence.
Both versions of Sin City are worth taking the time to watch (I prefer the Recut), and the Blu-ray will remind you why you wish they could get the sequel finally in the works.
Sin City [Blu-ray] is now available at Amazon . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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