The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

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Hollywood brings comic book to life with ‘Sin City’

Dimension Films released Frank Miller’s comic sensation “Sin City” Friday, and helped bring the graphic novel’s characters to life with an exciting cast and guest director Quentin Tarantino. It was No. 1 at the weekend box office with $28.1 million.

Co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and Miller, the movie includes a long list of recognizable Hollywood talent, including Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Benicio Del Toro, Brittany Murphy, Elijah Wood, Rosario Dawson, Clive Owen, Alexis Bledel and Josh Hartnett.

The movie begins with a beautiful woman in a red dress standing out on a balcony, approached by a strange, handsome young man who turns out to be a hired assassin, Hartnett, who kills her shortly after professing his love for her.

This movie is nothing less than a great comic book story, reaping all the benefits of the big screen with huge fight scenes and full of unreal characters played by awesome action stars worth their paychecks.

“Sin City” is a crazy place to live, full of violence and crime. It is a place where the weather is always cruel and cold, and it always seems to be nighttime.

Shown in black and white, although color was used to display outstanding violence or to portray a villain, the movie focuses on three stories, the main one based on Miller’s character Marv, Rourke, an incredibly strong, at times almost unstoppable character who is out avenging the murder of the only woman who ever showed him affection, a hooker. He goes on a rampage of torturing, mutilating, smashing and shooting anyone who may have information on the whereabouts of the murderer.

Wood plays the sly, evil, and cannibalistic young murderer named Kevin, who took the life of the hooker along with some of her friends. Kevin is mysterious, and unbelievable. He intrigues and frightens the human mind at the mere thought of an existent being with his evil intentions and capabilities.

Willis plays the part of Hartigan, a tough police detective who is set on saving the young life of Nancy, Makenzie Vega from a pervert and pedophile who is intent on raping and torturing children.

Eight years later, Hartigan is out of prison and looking to find young Nancy, whom he believes is in grave danger again. Nancy turns out to be a beautiful 19-year-old exotic dancer, played by Alba. Nancy tells Hartigan that she is in love with him, but Hartigan chooses to play the role of a fatherly guardian.

Meanwhile, the streetwalkers of Old Town have their own problems when they brutally kill a group of guys lead by Jackie-Boy, Del Toro, who were harassing a young prostitute, only to find out the group of men they killed were police officers.

The young ladies need to hide the bodies before city police find out, pull their protection and leave them open to be overrun by the mob.

Their leader Gail, Dawson, entrusts the bodies to her old fling Dwight, Owen, who finds trouble while driving to dump the bodies in tar pits.

And while the movie shows us exaggerated scenes of powerful human beings that withstand fatal blows, the nature of these characters may be closer to reality than we would like.

Rated R for violence, nudity, and sexual content, it can also be considered sadistic. The story takes us to another place beyond anything we know to be reality. Or perhaps,it is not that far-fetched.

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