Faded Boxers

Say what you will about Robert Rodriguez, but he remains to be one of the very few directors in Hollywood who still has the love and respect for filmmaking that is not present in most of his peers. Even his critics would often find fault in the subject matter of his movies, but not in the execution. It is in this regard that his career begs comparison with that of Steven Spielberg’s—another great director who was not taken seriously at the start of his career because of his penchant for making popcorn movies.

Rodriguez’s energy and sincerity as a director translates to a visual style that is both intelligent and brash at the same time. And Sin City not only exemplifies the perfect blend of the cerebral and the carnal aspects of Rodriguez’s vision, but it is arguably his best work to date.

Based on Frank Miller’s graphic novels of the same title, the movie is the exact cinematic translation of the comic book. Robert Rodriguez himself said in an interview that he does not consider this movie to be an adaptation so much as a translation. This is why there is no screenwriting in the credits. He also shares directorial credits with Frank Miller even though the latter didn’t direct a single scene in the movie. This can be rationalized by the fact that Miller’s comic book panels were actually used as the storyboards for the whole movie, and storyboarding a scene is already half the director’s job.

One could argue that filming an exact replica of the book could be a sign of Rodriguez’s laziness. However, anybody familiar with the source material would probably agree that given the neo-noir-surrealistic tone of the books, the only way to tell the story effectively is by making use of the techniques used by Frank Miller. Also, most film aficionados would agree that making an exact translation of the graphic novels would entail as much imagination and creativity as making your own adaptation. Successfully living up to the high standard set by the books, as well as the fans’ high expectations is hardly an indication of laziness.

It should also be said that while I have a strong aversion to the “new school” style of filmmaking (often characterized by the use of quick cuts, and the reliance on digital photography and CGI), I think Robert Rodriguez is one of the few people who can pull it off. This is because he can maintain the old school sensibilities of making movies while embracing everything that new technology has to offer. To accomplish the look of Sin City, Robert Rodriguez shot the film on a “digital backlot” (a gigantic green screen) which allows him to digitally add scenery and other effects in post production. Unlike George Lucas though, Rodriguez’s focus never waivered from the human element of the story which was a big factor in making the movie work.

Judging from the good buzz it’s been getting from online forums everywhere, all that hard work has paid off. Big time. Rodriguez created a living breathing organism that is as much his as it is Miller’s. Newcomers were treated with quite possibly the most faithful rendition of a graphic novel ever, while longtime fans wouldn’t be able to take their eyes off the screen for fear of missing any detail that Rodriguez has painstakingly put into the final product.

Apart from Michael Madsen’s lackluster performance, the cast obviously had fun getting into their characters. Yes, even Brittany Murphy’s “You fool!” line which would have produced horrendous results in any other movie, was appropriate given the genre. It’s noir fer chrissakes! I’d be disappointed if the movie didn’t contain cheesy dialogue and over the top acting.

To go into everything that went right with the movie would entail a much larger space that this blog sadly can’t accommodate. So I’ll just stop here because I doubt if anybody would be able to read this far. And quite frankly, I’d rather be watching the movie again, or reading the graphic novels instead of writing about how great they are.