Issue Date: March 27, 2005

Sin City

Comic creator Frank Miller's pulp stories come to life.

By Brian Truitt

In the new movie "Sin City," the striking visuals are as important as the plot. Based on Frank Miller's 14-year-old cult pulp-comic series about cops, thugs, madmen and damsels in distress, a majority of the scenes were translated from the page directly to film with exacting precision. "Nobody has ever done anything this faithful. It's kind of freaky," says Miller, 48, who co-directed with Robert Rodriguez ("Spy Kids"). "I've flipped through the books [during editing], and I'm like, 'We actually got that shot!' It's quite literally the shot."

Filled with booze, babes and bullets, "Sin City" is a highly stylized affair, jam-packed with big-name stars like Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Clive Owen and Mickey Rourke. We spoke with Miller about "Sin City," in theaters next Friday:

What was your inspiration for "Sin City"?
When I first came to New York, I started watching the old [crime] movies on TV late at night. I fell in love with that.

This movie is based on several "Sin City" storylines. How will they flow together?
We'll move from one story to another, but they overlap, because the characters intersect. The audience will get a real portrait of the city. It's a lively place.

The movie is mostly black and white, with splashes of intense color. Why is that?
Color is used like a weapon. It makes a point whenever it shows up. If a beautiful woman is walking up on a balcony and she's got a red dress on, you can't take your eyes off it.

Do you have a cameo in the movie?
I play an evil priest. I get killed by Mickey Rourke. How cool is that?