Robert Rodrigez directed Sin City. I think that guy's great. I thought fuck*ng Spy Kids was cool*. Desperado was one of the greatest action movies I've ever seen. It was a perfect balance between the comedic and the sincerely badass. Hell I'm not even sure that movie had a story. Once Upon a Time in Mexico wasn't a great movie, but you get what I'm saying. They guy has talent.
Quentin Tarantino is listed as guest director. A friend told me that he actually paid to be allowed to direct one scene in the movie. He's apparently a Frank Miller fan boy. That sounds weird to me, but whatever floats your dinghy.
As for the comics themselves, the original Sin City (Marv's story) was wonderfully constructed noir. It wasn't A Tale of Two Cities, but it didn't assume to be. Even the premise is unassuming. Marv doesn't go on a revenge spree because they 'killed the woman he loved.' No. She was a girl who was nice to him once. He goes through the whole thing because she was nice to him. There's a lot to be said for a slightly retarded badass.
This is not a Great Movie(tm). The books were good and they don't seemed to have fucked that up. If it rings hollow, I'll be a bit disappointed. But it looks to have the excitement and spirit that would make it a 'classic' on the level of Die Hard and Desperado. That may night be a stratospheric level, but we all adore a comic strip where a cat is about to start a business rolling doobies with office equipment.
On to great writing. Director Paul Greengrass is currently determining how faithful he can be to Alan Moore's
Watchmen and still make a good movie.
* The Pedro Picasso does not advocate fuck*ng spy kids. That's just wrong.