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The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini »

As many have said, the best and worst thing about this film is how closely it follows the comic. Stylistically it's stunning to look at (though not always, sometimes the effects just look goofy) and I love that Robert Rodriguez had enough respect for Frank Miller's work to use it as a storyboard and bring Miller on as co-director. But little things like the stilted dialogue and narration are better read than heard and at times were just unnecessary. The effect of the film at many points captures the stark black and white look of Miller's drawings but when it comes that close I think it tends to make you notice the differences rather than the similarities.

Some of the actors were really good here (Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Bruce Willis, and surprisingly Brittany Murphy) and some weren't (Michael Madsen wasn't even trying and Jamie King could have and should have been much sexier). At times the movie was as cool and fun and over the top as it should be (the unrealistic violence and sexuality, Kevin's demise, Marv's final act, the showdown with Rafferty and the women of Old Town) and other times it fell flat when it was important that they didn't(the prologue and epilogue, the opening scene with Hartigan wasn't a rousing beginning, Marv meeting Goldie, Hartigan reconnecting with Nancy).

Overall it was a very cool movie and for the most part I had a lot of fun with it, but I think it proved something I already knew: I don't really want comics to be movies. They're fine the way they are. This was the most faithful you could possibly be to a comic but it still didn't quite capture what was special about the comic. I don't even like Sin City the comic that much, I just like the artwork. Rodriguez was smart to focus on that aspect of it, but the whole thing still works better as a comic, I think.

Posted at April 6, 2005 05:41 PM

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Yeah, Madsen phoned it in. And Clive Owen, who I love, didn't make it happen. And lots of parts were silly and the dialogue sound awfully clunky when spoken. But DAMN, that movie made it happen. One of the best movies I've seen in a long time. The Marv chapter was stunning. Just so full of life and power!

Posted by: Brent at April 6, 2005 11:56 PM