I almost didn't attend the premiere last night of Frank Miller's Sin City, the new movie based on the graphic novel of the same name by the same guy. I like Frank and I like his comic book. What I don't like is violence and bloodshed in my movies, and a faithful adaptation promised to have oodles of shootings, busted limbs and even decapitations. I'm also leery when someone says, as they did of this one, "We're going to put a comic book on the screen."
Never seems worth the effort to me, and usually results in a lot of bad acting and phony special effects. But Sergio and I went to the premiere, which meant standing in endless lines, fighting our way through crowds of photographers and autograph seekers, and eating popcorn that seemed to have been popped back when Frank was just starting on Daredevil. And despite all that, it was worth it. I enjoyed the film for any number of reasons, not the least of which was the uncanny cinematography and the perfect transfer of Miller artwork to the screen. It really is the comic brought to life…and done so convincingly that about five minutes in, you forget how much of it is CGI and matte paintings, and just accept that it's all happening for real before your eyes. The violence is a bit numbing in places, but most of it's done with style and even, in some cases, extraordinary humor. When you live in Sin City, you can get shot fifty times, stabbed through the thorax and have a few body parts chopped off. And then, if you're not careful, someone might try to kill you.
I won't go into the plot. If you've read the graphic novel, you know it. If you haven't, so much the better because the surprises are the best part. Besides, I'm sick of reviewers who tell you the storyline instead of letting you discover it for yourself. One of the reasons I had a good time was that I haven't read reviews, seen clips, heard the actors discuss their roles on talk shows, etc. It's film noir to the nth degree, it's an anthology, and the blood and testosterone flow freely. That's all you need to know.
So was there anything I disliked? Yeah, and it probably bothered me more than it should have. The second the end credits started, everyone was applauding and about 90% of the audience was in the aisles, heading off for the post-screening party. They were not watching those credits and they made it impossible for those of us who did to sit and watch them.
Now, I'll agree that in this era when the assistant secretary to the insurance underwriter gets her name up there, end credits in movies can be hard to sit through…but this audience didn't even linger through the actors' names. And besides, this was the premiere. Some of the credits they walked out on were for people who were in the room. That's doubly rude. I wanted to yell at all the people streaming into the lobby, "Hey! You got in free! You got free Sierra Mist and free antique popcorn, and most of us are invited to a party after. The least you can do is to watch all of the movie and show respect for the folks who made it!"
Since they left, most of them missed one nice touch. At the end, Frank acknowledged the contribution of many comic creators whose work inspired him — Jack Kirby, Will Eisner, Frank Robbins, Wally Wood and several others. In fact, Jack got a better credit on Sin City than he did on the first X-Men movie. I suspect he would have been prouder of the former, as well.