Chapter 222: Disillusionment

In recent years, Tom Cruise's career has not only been limited to acting but has also expanded into production. His name can be found in the producer column for films like "Mission: Impossible" and "Vanilla Sky".

This is both a result of investing in films and a representation of the status and power of a super A-list star. Although often a nominal role, Tom Cruise understands that certain positions demand corresponding abilities. Thus, in addition to acting, he has also dabbled in film production, shooting, and even a bit of directing.

Coupled with his twenty years of fame in the industry and almost unfailing success in starring roles, he possesses a fundamental insight into judging films.

The movie uses black and white, and actually, vivid reds, yellows, and greens. Whether it's the blood-red sky, the golden monster, or the emerald eyes of a beauty, these colors stand out strikingly against the monochrome world.

Beyond perfectly matching the comic's two-color world, the director achieves several things: maintaining visual impact while moderately reducing the negative effects of violence and gore, and even making some bloody scenes appear humorous.

Nevertheless, the film's gore index is still alarmingly high with blood splattering and limbs and heads flying... The director seemingly disregards the then-popular aesthetic of violence, intentionally pushing the boundaries with purer visuals and psychological illusions to enhance the violence of Sin City.

Monologue is another characteristic of the film. The three protagonists' monologues — whether somber, confused, or sorrowful — align well with the film's dark, cold, and simultaneously feverish backdrop.

Marv's monologue is the most frequent, fitting his lonely character in Sin City; Dwight's is the least, matching his cold persona...

Suddenly, Tom Cruise realizes the film is not without issues.

After widespread release, some will criticize it for lacking moral substance. Beyond meaningless imagery and shallow storylines, the film seems to say nothing, perhaps glorifying violence? Even Spider-Man conveys a profound message of great power bringing great responsibility, the need for heroes and their beliefs.

In "Sin City," there are almost no heroes.

Marv risks his life for a prostitute; Hardigan shoots himself in the head for a girl he loves — the film relies on basic human emotions, even violence, to uphold subjective justice, which is morally questionable in the real world.

Having faced such criticisms himself, Tom Cruise is mindful of this aspect. His past works were also attacked from a moral high ground, criticized as violent trash that merely showcased his good looks and charm.

So, the issue isn't what one learns after watching, or what moral insights are gained, but rather what one "enjoys"!

With this thought, a hint of sarcasm plays on Tom Cruise's lips. Forget those who always claim the moral high ground!

He enjoyed the film, and that's enough. Its appeal lies in cool stylings, exaggerated expressions, and action sequences resembling high-speed slow-motion — a cult film that is neither hysterically violent like punk music nor absurdly mocking reality like some literature.

"Sin City" is perfect in this regard — faithful to the comic's style, bringing panel-like frames to the big screen, complementing this with cleverly designed action scenes and gory visuals for a strong impact, enhanced by special effects and background music, exaggerating violence to satisfy innate human wildness.

How can fans of such genres not be ecstatic?

"The film intertwines the monologues of three men. When they kill, when their hands are stained with blood, their voices — calm, confused, sorrowful — never forget the women who once made them feel human."

Sitting beside Ivy Niwe, Ziyi Zhang is still reeling from the film's impact, finding it hard to believe that her participation resulted in such an effect!

Her expectation for "Sin City" was almost akin to longing for the first rain in a dry North American box office spring. Aware of Murphy Stanton's fondness for cult films, like Quentin Tarantino with "Kill Bill", and the trailers' emphasis on black and white imagery and wild characters, she knew it would be a style-first film.

But the final product exceeds imagination in style, creating a huge impact and chilling her with its dark, pungent violence. The film goes beyond a creative visual experience to disillusion the hypocritical moral standards under extreme violence.

Sin City, eternally dark skies, snow unable to cover the filthy streets.

Cruel? The film doesn't even offer a moment to catch one's breath.

Even with the comic as a reference, such an effect is unimaginable for her.

"So, movies can be made like this!"

Ziyi Zhang can't hide her surprise and delight, feeling like she participated in a significant work, collaborating with a uniquely styled director on a film that might make North American cinema history.

Her enchantment lies in the film's relentless environmental design and camera work, arguably the best adaptation of comics to film she's seen.

The strong black and white contrast, camera work, and lighting angles make many shots worthy of standalone appreciation, even comparable to oil paintings, particularly the nuanced use of black, achieving a texture unattainable in color films.

Compared to comics, Murphy Stanton gives the film more — its advantage in action scenes and color use far surpasses the original, resulting in a visually compelling effect.

The film is mostly black and white, with only the splattered, intense red blood making the characters' bloody appearances particularly striking.

Associations with love and beauty make red the director's favorite, resulting in scenes like a woman in a glistening red gown on white skin, shining like beautiful stars; a young woman with golden hair on a red velvet heart-shaped bed, symbolizing purity and desire.

Murphy Stanton's endless inspirations infuse the film, from Nancy's deeper green eyes after smoking to the Yellow Bastard's rotten aura, constantly delivering sharp visual impacts.

The film's characters and stories exist in an unrestrained, indistinguishable reality, where unapologetic violence complements the unreal setting. The form's surprise highlights the content's stark black elements, often giving a chilling effect akin to "Pulp Fiction's" extreme violence.

From start to end, the film is relentless, like Uma Thurman's unstoppable vengeance in "Kill Bill." The stormy violence in Sin City eventually brings her and the characters to an abrupt end.

At that moment, as snowflakes silently fall, all the bullets, blood, life, and murder culminate in inevitable lament.

Unbearable? Not for the film's characters, as that's the true face of the city.

"The old man dies, the young girl lives," Ziyi Zhang thinks, "surviving tough and resilient."

Nearby sit Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. When the credits roll, like everyone else, they stand and applaud vigorously, recognizing its potential as a masterpiece, despite not favoring this genre.

"This film," Michael Douglas says while clapping, "couldn't have been made by any mediocre director."

"I met Murphy Stanton in Cannes," Catherine Zeta-Jones whispers, continuing to clap, "He joked about using 'Planet Terror' to mercilessly satirize the loss and disillusionment of societal values. I think he and Quentin Tarantino are both insanely brilliant directors."

"Clearly, this film won't evoke a lukewarm response from fans and audiences," Michael Douglas adds, "They'll either fall for it instantly or vehemently dismiss it as trash; there's no room for a mild attitude."

Catherine Zeta-Jones nods in agreement with her husband's view.

As the screening ends and applause fills the 2,200-seat Hollywood Chinese Theatre, Gal Gadot stands with others, clapping for Murphy, not minding her sore hands.

Her mindset has completely shifted from the preview — from a bystander to proud of her loved one's achievement.

This pride grows as more celebrities come to embrace Murphy — Tom Cruise, Quentin Tarantino, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and many others she recognizes but can't name.

Their faces bear genuine smiles, their words praising the film just screened, and Gal Gadot believes at least half of what they say is true.

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