 When churches are afraid to talk about sin, leave it to the movies. We all live in Sin City. Everyone has “that cold thing”, as both Marv and Dwight call it, inside them. That calls to them. There’s no judgment in Sin City because all the character know they are sinners so there’s no point in playing the sin game with one another.
Despite the existential worldview that the movies supposes to aim for, Christ can be found. Marv, the hapless goon, and Hardigan, broken-down, retired cop, were the models of Christ in, and the heart of, the movie. This will strike many as absurd, as the movie does not have anything positive to say about clergy. Even in an era of anti-heroes, even in Sin City, there is room for crazy notions such as caring for people, treating poor people the same as rich, and laying down one’s life for one’s friends. This even applies to the Ayn Rand inspired “hero” Dwight, because even he has a “Sir Lancelot/save the damsel in distress” quality to him.
 Like Christ, they believed all people were equal. Sinners felt comfortable around them. Like Christ, they were ugly. For those who cling to the image of Christ with long, flowing locks and smooth (Caucasian) features, they might want to check out Isaiah 53:2-3. Like Christ, they liked to gather up people around them. Jesus lived with people, partied with them, ate with them, drank with them, and walked with them. He surrounded himself with women of base repute.
They were losers.
When the cause was just, they had no fear of action. Christ overturned tables and faced down demons. They saved (or avenged) the innocent. The villains, cowards that they are, prey on the weak, the vulnerable, and those people that no one cares about or will miss. Often, as one character points out, they beat up on women to make themselves feel like men. They were framed for crimes they didn’t commit, because “sometimes the truth doesn’t matter as it ought.” And they paid the price for those crimes.
Marv, Hardigan, and Dwight are hard-boiled heroes. Men in search of redemption, all face points where they have to “prove to your friends that you’re worth a damn. Sometimes that means dying,” thus being wounded for other’s transgressions.
 This movie is not for the faint of heart, nor is the stylized film-making easily consumed. The twisted tales of rage and revenge provide brutal scenes of violence. The actual nudity is brief, the movie, with its endless parade of fishnet clad prostitutes, is sexually charged. Had Tarantino not been a part of things, the movie still has the sensibilities of Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill. An exercise in style that threatens to supplant substance, the movie is visually stunning and demands viewing. If nothing else, it reminds us that our spiritual journeys are relational, not propositional (a matter of following or reciting a formula). The characters live out their beliefs, showing that even in Sin City, love, in the form of self-sacrifice, can be found.
Continued on Maurice's Blog |
