Violence Becomes You
The Smackdown. Just two years after the incredibly violent “Sin City” comes “300,” which increases the body count but probably only ties in the gore department. Both movies attempt to translate Frank Miller’s comic book aesthetic onto the silver screen with varying degrees of success.
The Challenger. Say what you will about "300," everyone can agree that its hype-meter is off the charts. I'm fairly certain my friends and I made plans to see the midnight IMAX showing after we saw the first trailer months ago. Such is the irresistible allure of the sheer visual spectacle the movie offers. But I'd gladly have settled for just 150 Spartans if only they'd thought to hire more than half of a writer. Miller's original was lean in the plot department to begin with, so the script deviates from the comic by adding a sleep-inducing dose of political intrigue. Suffice to say that the movie really only works when hordes of Persians (especially of the mutant or ninja variety) are becoming intimately acquainted with the business end of a spear... and even that gets old after a while.
The Defending Champion. "Sin City" is fanatically loyal to the original comic, each thought bubble lovingly rendered into a line of VO dialog. From the unnaturally vivid black and white of the very first frame you know you're in for two hours and six minutes of pure pulp, just the way Miller likes it. (No surprise there, director Robert Rodriguez quit the DGA so he could co-direct with him.) Speaking of which, the film unfolds in a distinctly "Pulp Fiction" three-story structure. "The Hard Goodbye," which comes first, is by far the strongest and features a fantastically pumped Mickey Rourke in a hard-boiled murder mystery that would've made Raymond Chandler proud. Once you get started you're along for the ride.
The Scorecard. I find it interesting that when critics were looking for ways to dish "Sin City" they went for words like "airless" and "embalmed" but by the time they got to "300" they didn't need to go any further than "like a videogame," which apparently means the same thing. Not all games are plotless voids made palatable only by their impressive graphics. Games may be a new medium, but that doesn't mean they can't tell engaging stories on par with cinema... and you need look no further than the latest "Final Fantasy" game to prove it.
The Decision. "300" took a while to build steam and then lost it when you just didn't care about the fighting anymore. "Sin City" starts strong and ends weak, but at least it carries you the whole way. Both hinge on a visual gimmick (and let's not forget extreme amounts of violence!) that can get exhausting after a while, but in terms of sheer gritty storytelling satisfaction the answer is inescapable. Maybe you'd visit Sparta for the weather, but you'd stay in Sin City for the company.
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