Blu-Ray Review:

Sin City

By Jason Gillard

*Screen shots are not from the Blu-Ray source.

Movie

Let me start off by saying Sin City is fantastic.  I had never read the graphic novels, so the movie was my introduction to Frank Miller's work.  You really have seen nothing like this movie before.  It literally looks like the pages of the comic have been torn off and pasted on the screen.  Everything looks fantastic in this neo-noir film.  The movie is basically 3 overlapping stories with a small short.  One is about a man who is looking to find out who is responsible for the death of his beloved Goldie, another is about a man who is fed up with the corrupt law enforcement in Sin City and takes the law into his own hands after a horrible mistake.  The last story is about a cop who risks his life to protect a little girl from a deformed pedophile and a hit man looking to make a little extra cash.  The film is bookmarked by a short about a suave hit man and his prey.  It's difficult to explain the plot here and it's better to watch the film.  I absolutely loved the film, and thought it was like nothing that has made its way to screen before.  If you can't take violence this might not be the film for you. But if you like the graphic novels I am sure you will like this movie.

9 out of 10

Video

Sin city is presented in 1080p in it's original aspect ratio of 1.78:1.  There is a common misconception out there that a black and white film does not benefit from HD.  This film is living proof that it does.  Black levels are so fantastic.  When there is a scene that requires blood, it jumps off the screen and is in such contrast to the rest of the colour palette that it gives it even more of an emotional impact.  Detail is absolutely amazing!  The stubble on Bruce Willis face, fabric on the characters clothes and the detail in the objects are razor sharp.  I have mentioned in other reviews of discs that are reference level transfers, but this one is taking the top spot.  I could go on and on about how fantastic this film looks and how every frame oozes quality, but I will end by saying this should be the first film you pull out to show your friends.

10 out of 10

Audio

For the audio we are presented with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track.  In a word "Wow".  This is again a reference quality sonic explosion.  The narrator's voice thunders out all around you, gunfire hits you from multiple directions, even the crunch of gravel on a deserted road sounds utterly fantastic.  It's not very often that a track pulls you and makes you forget where you are.  You totally believe you are in Basin City and that what is going on onscreen is happening right there.  The bass will peel the walls in your house and if you live in a townhouse the neighbors will be dropping by to see whats going on.  Simply stunning is this lossless track and one that I can't recommend any higher.

10 out of 10

Extras

Here is what we have in the way of extras:

Disc 1
Cine-Explore Interactive Visual Commentary"
Audio Commentary with Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller
Audio Commentary with Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino
Audience Reaction Track

Disc 2
Rodriguez Special Features
Kill 'em Good
How It Went Down
Special Guest Director, Quentin Tarantino
A Hard Top with a Decent Engine
Booze, Broads, and Guns
Making the Monsters
Trenchcoats & Fishnets
Theatrical Trailers
D-Box Motion Functionality

There is a ton of good info here.  My favorites would have to be "Rodriguez Special Features"  This is actually 5 featurettes in one collection.  The highlight being Robert Rodriguez 15 minute film school.  Also All Green Screen Version is cool because it's an accelerated look at the movie without the special effects.  Also who can forget Rodriguez's weird cooking school where he makes breakfast tacos.    I also liked "How it Went Down" which discusses Rodriguez pursuit of Miller to be able to adapt his work.    I also liked "Booze, Broads, and Guns" which looks at the various props used in the film.  Last but not least the "Cine-Explore Interactive Visual Commentary"  This is a great way to see the film and the extras at the same time. 

Overall there is a ton of good info here, even if most of it is not in HD.

9 out of 10

Overall

If I was voting right now this would win disc of the year.  The combination of outstanding video and audio and great extras make this a must buy!

10 out of 10