2 of 4

Female assassins of this sort naturally bring Kill Bill to mind, and as it happens, Rodriguez's buddy Quentin Tarantino is listed in the credits of Sin City as a "special guest director," and the film is populated by actors who have worked with both directors before—including Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs) as Hartigan's corrupt partner, Elijah Wood (The Faculty) as the creepiest Christian cannibal you'll ever see, Carla Gugino (Spy Kids) as a lesbian parole officer, and Josh Hartnett (The Faculty) as a gentlemanly hit man. (Trivia note: this is Rodriguez's first film since the original El Mariachi that does not feature either Antonio Banderas or Salma Hayek.) But Sin City suffers by comparison. Tarantino, perhaps despite himself, turns his pulp source materials into genuine works of art that pose interesting moral and spiritual questions, but Rodriguez, more often than not, is content to toss off films that look cool but offer nothing of any lasting spiritual benefit.

Jessica Alba, who plays Nancy, and director Robert Rodriguez on the set

If there is one theme that comes through in Miller's works, it is a deep distrust of authority, whether of the political or ecclesiastical kind. In one scene, the senator played by Powers Boothe—whose brother, Cardinal Roark (Rutger Hauer), is deeply implicated in Goldie's murder—says true power comes not from a gun but from getting people to play along with your big lie. ("Powers" Boothe talks about "power"? And come to think of it, Mickey "Rourke's" character ends up going after a Cardinal "Roark"? Were these actors hired for the sheer punworthiness of their names?) In Miller's world, authority of any sort is the "big lie," but once this deception has been ripped away, there is nothing to take its place but pure demonstrations of force—and, occasionally, an act of self-sacrifice.

I'm still mulling over whether these acts of self-sacrifice tilt towards something redemptive or something more resigned and fatalistic. It is quite possible they point in both directions, but the world Miller and Rodriguez have created is so bleak and nasty it's difficult to see what lasting value any sort of redemption could have here.

Talk About It

1. Marv says, "I love hit men. No matter what you do to them, you don't feel bad." Dwight also expresses concern that a potential victim of violence may not deserve what he's getting. Do the main characters in this film have any sort of moral code? Do they treat some people as more bad or less bad than others? Do we? Should we?
   
   
2. Do you think some sins are worse than others? What are we allowed to do, if anything, to someone who has committed "worse" sins than us? How do we understand such things in light of what the Bible says about human righteousness, or the lack thereof (see Romans 2:6-11, 3:23, 12:17-19)?
   
   
3. What sort of attitude should we have toward authority, whether of the secular or ecclesiastical kind? What about when authority is abused? What is the relationship between divine authority and human authority? Does authority really exist, in some sense, or is it a "big lie"? If it is a lie, then what do we make of God's authority (see Romans 13:1-7)?

The Family Corner

Sin City is rated R for sustained strong stylized violence, nudity and sexual content including dialogue. There are frequent scenes of torture, dismemberment, and wounds to the groin. One story involves a serial killer who devours the souls of his victims with the approval of a Catholic cardinal, and another involves a pedophile who undergoes drastic surgical enhancement.

next page... |  2 of 4