We open up to a balcony. Standing on the balcony in a red dress that drastically stands out amongst the black and white look of everything else is our first meeting with a citizen of the city. She's gorgeous, and Josh Hartnett is smooth as he sweet-talks her, takes her in his arms, holds her close, kisses her and -- pow! The blood starts to run in Sin City.

And it flows like a river.

Based on the critically-acclaimed graphic novels by writer Frank Miller, "Sin City" is simply one of the best examples of filmmaking to come down the pike in a good while.

Headlined by Bruce Willis, Micky Rourke, Benicio Del Toro, Jessica Alba and Clive Owen, it's impossible to ignore the likes of Michael Madsen, Brittany Murphy, Rosario Dawson and Elijah Wood, who each take a turn at unforgettable, and often times disturbing, characters in the story. Stories, rather.

Instead of taking just one, director Robert Rodriguez tells three different tales.

The first story stars Bruce Willis as a heart-troubled, grizzled detective on the heels of retirement trying to bring in one last sicko. The second tale, by far the best of the trio, stars Rourke as Marv, a pill-popping brawler on a bloody rampage to find a hooker's killer.

The third arc, with Del Toro and Owen, is one where a single death nearly sets off a war that could tear the city apart. The three arcs are different but connected by the characters involved in them and the city they take place in. Sin City is just as much a character in the movie as a setting for the action.

The movie is shot in a black and white noir style with drastic shades of red scattered about, mostly to emphasize the blood spilled as the characters go through their paces in the city.

As soon as the film opens on that balcony shot in that noir, viewers know they are in a different world and in for a ride.

Blue screen innovations from Rodriguez allow for several shots to be lifted straight out of the graphic novels that inspire them, bringing to life the most faithful adaptation one can find.

You can find whatever you want if you look down the right alley in Sin City.

The same can be said for this movie. Style, substance, character, action, whatever the cinematic desire of the viewer, this movie has it in spades, dames, bullets and blood. This is a sin you can't live without.

-- By BJ Lewis, Staff Writer