Sin City

It’s Don Quixote meets Pulp Fiction: Three (or so) interweaving and ultra-violent tales of a directionless, burnt-out thug on parole, a directionless, burnt-out cop on the verge of retirement, and a directionless, burnt-out death row escapee who independently seek redemption and meaning by avenging or protecting the fallen women who for a fleeting moment made their lives worthwhile. Stylishly adapted with gory exuberance by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino from the stylishly bloody graphic novels of Frank Miller.

Carla Gugino
Of course, as anyone who’s seen the trailer can guess for themselves, over-the-top violence isn’t the only species of titillation offered. People who don’t have children and have had no reason to see Spy Kids probably have no idea who Carla Gugino is, but they’ll probably remember her after this. She’s briefly topless for only a couple of scenes, but her proportions are such that she’ll stick in the brain more stubbornly than Jaime King, who’s topless longer and slightly more often. The other women in the cast, while they all make great eye candy here, do so with their clothes on (and with a little extra padding in Jessica Alba’s case).

Jaime King

Carla Gugino in “Sin City”
Carla Gugino

Brittany Murphy in “Sin City”
Brittany Murphy

Rosario Dawson in “Sin City”
Rosario Dawson

Jessica Alba in “Sin City”
Jessica Alba

And speaking of Jessica Alba, I’ve seen a lot of grumbling on the net, both before and after the film came out, about the fact that Jessica plays a stripper in the film but shows less than the parole officer (Carla Gugino). But since Jessica has never been naked on film before — and used a body double in The Sleeping Dictionary — it seems a little over-hopeful to expect that she’d break form and break out the boobs for Sin City.

Rosario Dawson
Indeed, if there are any disappointing no-shows in the nudity department, it would be Rosario Dawson, who has appeared nude on film before. It seems her brief moment in the raw buried in Alexander will have to tide us over for a few years.

The bottom line: Sure, the film’s kitschy as hell, and for some even a little repetitive (three bad-ass Don Quixotes all doing pretty much the same thing). It may not be as clever as Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill, films to which it will inevitably be compared. But its unapologetic, over-the-top blood orgies, its stylistic visuals (which go well beyond what Dick Tracy sought to accomplish, despite the obvious comparisons), and general black humor all together make the film a lot of fun and well worth watching.