The doctor character is an assassin who approaches one of the characters at a party as a 'handsome stranger' type ready to whisk her off to a better life and offs her, swiftly and discreetly, instead. It's a well crafted intro.

I saw that from the front row, which added to the dark blocky cartoonish effect of the film. I loved it despite the crick in my neck.

I went with a few friends, and we were late to get seats, so we had no choice but to sit up in the neck-craning section. A strange synchronicity existed between us: all of us could remember the last time we sat in the very front row, and it turned out each of us had done it, in different cinemas, at the same movie: Chariots of Fire.

Sin City starts off with a black screen and the sound of a siren, then a saxophone fades, announcing the film as "noir."

Cool, eh? The comics were a little too ultra-violent for my mood when they first came out, but I saw the film twice at the theatres and will see it again on video. Miller's heavy chiaroscuro in the comics goes along with the noir homage as well, and is replicated admirably in the mostly b&w film. You should check out the film/comics comparison to see just how faithfully and brilliantly Rodriguez followed Frank Miller's comics.

What made the film resonate with me? I think that all of the main characters are "anachronisms," belonging in an older, simpler time, doomed in the modern world but determined to live (or die) by their own personal codes. And the ultra-violence is SO ultra that it comes off not so much shocking as it comes off Popeye & Bluto.

wow. really? I thought it sucked donkey balls.

Ah well, to each his/her/its own.

If anyone's interested in how the great look happened, I have a chat with the post production wizards of CafeFX at adland.

Gawd I loved it. Loved the comic and was really impressed on how they made the film look so great. Had to wait ages before it hit there theatres here - june 4th.

Silly anecdote; Few years back I had this lovely nutty girlfriend collegue who kept an electric chaired Marv "doll" in her office. Every time our boss was being a wanker (at least once a day) she'd push a button on her Marv, which would electrocute him so he'd shake violently and amke all sorts of noise, and he'd wheese "is that all you got you pansies?". We all got addicted to that thing, soon I joined in, and everyone else as well, we'd all rush to her office to kill Marv when we needed to.
Pretty soon a memo went out instructing us all not to have personal artifacts in our offices.

I hated it too, I walked out as a matter of fact, which I haven't done in years and years. Even though I adore Mickey Rourke.

I walked out of Interview with a Vampire, the worst waste of time I've ever curtailed.

Wow, walked out! Well, I can see how it's not for everyone. I thought it was great, but I'm kind of a comic geek.

Thanks for the info and links, everybody.

I think, really, it's both a parody of noir as well as serious action/noir itself. I didn't get that when I first started reading the comics, I just saw the ultra-violent demise of "Kevin" and thought Miller had chipped in with a dozen other comics writers doing the never-ending trend of shock-ultra-violence. I shouldn't have written Sin City off so quickly, but it was partly also my mood (and my lack of funds for comics.)

It should be noted that Miller's pencils were inked by embellisher Klaus Janson for ages back on Daredevil and the original Dark Knight series back in the '80s. Janson's rough, often chiarascuro style just had to be an influence on Miller and Sin City, although Miller took it even further.

I wish they would make a Moon Knight movie.

I take that back; I wish they would make a really good Moon Knight movie.

Fuck you Hugh Janus, now I'm going to have to find my old moon knight comics.

I madly love film noir and really like comics and still am an unabashed Mickey Rourke fan, and I really like Specklet, too, but I had so many problems with this movie -- the sadistic violence, the exploitation, the callousness, the shallowness and ultimate lack of a soul.
I wasn't as displeased by a movie since Irreversible, that I found to be unwatchable and had to leave the theatre (the rape scene). but at least Gaspar Noé, unlike Rodriguez, is an interesting filmmaker.
I suppose the argument can effectively be made that Rodriguez is one of the least talented directors working nowadays. the problem is, somebody convinced him he's a genius. I humbly submit Once Upon a Time in Mexico as evidence of Rodriguez's incompetence.

having said that, more power to those who liked Sin City.

I'm with papercake and matteo. I hated the movie. Sin City was a puerile, abominable snoozefest.

I take that back; I wish they would make a really good Moon Knight movie.

I have the whole old series run!! Bill Sinkiewicz!! Sinkiewicz, Miller on Daredevil, and Byrne/Austin on X-Men kept me reading comics when otherwise I might have faded out of it!

Great story, dabitch!

why do you keep missing the end of movies? (i missed the last ten of welcome to the dollhouse, lord it was a sad ten minutes)
also, i haven't seen sin yet but plan to love it, longtime insider/outsider comicker

Ouch, I'm a little sensitive to "fuck you." But I'm glad you're reading Moon Kinght, drezdn.

The backstory itself would make a good movie. Temple of Khonsu and whatnot.

I'd also like to see a good movie of Nemesis the Warlock.