Sin City

Today is What to Watch Wednesday and continuing my list of must-see movies here is Sin City. Another one of my all time favorites.

A story of violence, corruption, and life in Basin City, this movie is the definition of a graphic novel adaptation to me. It follows three different characters: Dwight (Clive Owen), Marv (Mickey Rourke), and Hartigan (Bruce Willis). There are overlapping characters in each of the three men's stories and it helps you make sense of it all.

The acting is tremendous and every actor brings his or her own little quirks to the screen that make this so enjoyable to watch. Bruce Willis plays a tough, thick-skinned cop on a mission to save a girl, Nancy Callahan played exquisitely by Jessica Alba. He brings his natural grit and gusto to his character and becomes one of my favorites. Mickey Rourke, known for his comeback in The Fighter a couple years ago, should have been recognized earlier for this performance, but is in too much makeup to even come close to distinguishing him. My favorite character is Dwight, played by Clive Owen. A funny, intelligent, strong character, Owen fit this role perfectly.

Not only are these three main characters great, but the supporting roles equal the acting of those three better than expected. The list of actors is rather extensive, but here are some of the highlights you will see when you watch it: Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Rosario Dawson, Benecio Del Toro, and even Nick Offerman (of NBC Parks and Recreation fame) makes a brief appearance.

Many people may look past this movie because it's in black and white, but believe me it totally works for this type of a movie. A few things are in color throughout the film and you'll have to see it to figure out why they are in color, but it's definitely worth it. The writing is incredible and that's in part because Frank Miller the author of the graphic novels this movie is based on wrote the script and helped direct the movie so he knew what he wanted where. It worked out very well.

If you enjoy movies with social commentary, action, violence, and intelligent dialogue and plot, this is right up your alley. I wouldn't say you have to be a fan of all of these, but you'll be able to make the decision yourself if you just watch it!

9.5/10