Sin City

Robert Rodriguez adapts three of Frank Miller’s film-noir-style comic books into a visually stunning time-hopping saga of the corrupt underside of the fictional Basin City, a sordid metropolis where the sun never shines and the only light is neon, auto headlights or gunfire. Rodriguez and Miller (who share director credit, with “special guest director” Quentin Tarantino) understand that noir is a matter of attitude and atmosphere more than plot, and they find a perfect film equivalent for Miller’s stark, virile graphics: a harsh black-and-white with occasional flashes of color for red blood, pink lips or golden hair. Another plus is the busload of stars along for the ride: Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Benicio Del Toro, Rosario Dawson, Clive Owen, Brittany Murphy, Nick Stahl, etc.