Sin City

It may be the fall of western civilization writ large, but this "graphic novel" brought to life is at least energetic. Visually striking and violent in the extreme (with a peculiar fascination with dismemberment that begs a psychological analysis far beyond what we have time, space, or expertise for), the picture starts off at full throttle and never slows down. The men are all violent psychopaths, and the women are all whores or strippers. But it's all good, clean family fun! The actors, to the extent that they are recognizably human, seem to inhabit their roles with gusto, and the narrative roundelay is fun, in a kind of post-"Pulp Fiction" way. (Let's face it, “The Interpreter” would have been a better picture if it had half the spirit of “Sin City.”) The perfect movie for when you're in the mood to beat someone to death.