Firstly, this is a beautiful movie. Photographed in black and white, with splotches of Pleasantville-esque color, there's never a dull moment, visually speaking. The shots are framed in an obviously deliberate manner. Lines are spoken succintly and purposefully. Initially, the tone feels a bit fake, but within 5 minutes, it draws you in and that ceases to matter.

There is something very primal about Sin City. It is, at its heart, a tale of three heroes, all fighting out of love. For females. (I would say "women", except one of them was too young to use that word.) Thus, the film is very much about the male "as protector" perspective. (I can't go on without giving serious spoilers. Don't read further unless you've already seen it or don't care.)

There is a distinct progression here. It begins with the older honest cop (Bruce Willis) working to save a kidnapped little girl from the worst sort of predator. He is the quintessential father figure, with an ailing body but strong of character. The girl in this story is pure, innocent, and helpless; the man weary and worn.

The second story is about the ugly beast redeemed by the affections of a goddess. When she is killed, he sets out to avenge her death. In this phase, the hero is both less and more than the women he fights for and among. His physical strength is obviously far superior to all of them (he effortlessly breaks free of even the bonds tied by the one most expert in knots), but he is forever humbled beneath the powerful will and kindness bestowed upon him by all of the feminine kind, and thus will always be their subordinate.

The third hero is perhaps the ideal archetype of manhood, at least in terms of heroic capacity. He gallantly defends the poor bar maid against her abusive boyfriend, and chases the thugs into the part of town owned and protected by women who enforce their own code of justice. He works with these women as equals. The chief warrior woman is his love, but will never belong to him. It should be noted that he is the only one of the three who survives victorious -- with the active help of his strong female allies. A significant statement, I believe.

All three of these heroes are courageous, self-sacrificing, and have a genuine desire to honor the opposite sex. The villians, by contrast, are out to control, terrorize, and victimize. It is also no coincidence that all of the most evil characters are directly affiliated with institutions of power -- church, state, and law enforcement. The use of fiction to communicate messages too unseemly to discuss as literal fact is nothing now. A few years ago, the scandal of the clergy was blown wide open. But as some inquisitive souls have been discovering, that was likely just the tip of the iceberg. Some truths are just easier to swallow in the form of fairy tales.

Regarding portrayals of women. I don't recall a single woman in this movie who wasn't somehow employed in the sex industry. I'm still not certain what to make of this aspect of the production. While it is obviously not representative of literal reality, in the hyperreal, animalistic jungle of Sin City, it somehow makes sense. Because the movie is a tale of archetypes from a straight male perspective, I can only come to the conclusion that the movie is saying that we men, at our core, view all women as little more than sexual entities. Those who do not act in that capacity fall off our primal radar, and thus are outside the scope of this movie. They call it the oldest profession for a reason.

It is a violent movie, but the violence is fitting. It works.

I'm amused reading over the imdb comments now. Yanthor was right. Everyone seems to either absolutely love or absolutely hate the movie. Obviously, there are some people who just didn't get it.

Well, for lack of anything else to say, I guess I'll end my review with the same word Roger Ebert used to conclude his. Brilliant.