Frank Miller does it again, this time with Will Eisner's "The Spirit". Possibly the best comic adaptation in years, easily surpassing Christopher Nolan's Batman tales, we have the story of Denny Colt, a dead and resurrected hero for the city of Central City. He faces off against the Octopus (Sam Jackson's best role since "Pulp Fiction") and his goons. But death isn't willing to let him go on living forever...
Following in the visual tradition of "Sin City", this movie combines action, mystery, humor and romance. You can't tell whether to take it seriously or not... sometimes one scene will blend both effortlessly. The Octopus is so outlandish, yet the noir setting gives the film a grim and gritty appeal. I suppose noir and humor blend well (see "Dick Tracy"), but I've never seen it blend as smoothly as this.
And we mustn't forget the ladies. Scarlett Johannson is looking her finest, and Eva Mendes will excite her male fans. They play great roles -- Johannson especially -- but they aren't afraid to use their sex appeal, either.
I liked "Sin City", but "The Spirit" took that look and cranked it up another few notches. Black, white and red are such strong colors... and they are what look best on the Spirit (he had to have his trademark red tie). Add in some risqué themes -- Nazism, cat cruelty -- and you have a film that was sadly overlooked but will go down as one of the better comic adaptations of its day.
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