Yes, this film was visually enticing. But let's be honest. It dipped into world of carnal desire.
Sure, the movie was very artistic. Rodriguez, the director, is good at what he does. But let's call a spade a spade. If the world's best photographer takes pictures of rape, the pictures may be really visually compelling, but IT'S RAPE! And what's the purpose?
Compare that to the film
A Time to Kill based on John Grisham's best seller. A little girl is raped and killed. The film gave you glimpses of the horror. That's just what it was . . . horror. The film-maker's intention was to show you a realistic glimpse of the evil in this world. And he did it in a way that made you squirm, but didn't show you every little detail.
But
Sin City was different.
Sin City was like setting up a camera in a hotel room that rents by the hour, just so we can see what the life of a "working girl" looks like. What's the point? What's the director's intention?
If you doubt me, check out IMDB.com's list of sexual content under the film's parent guide section, and read the description for violence and sexuality alone.
I have a friend who is a big beer pounding tough guy that you won’t find in church on Sunday. His comment about the film was,
“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so . . . wrong.”
Yes, you'll see sex, naked girls and scantily clad women throughout. But worse, you'll see these women and others being killed and tortured in horrific ways. Not surprising in the day and age where
Grand Theft Auto is the number one video game for teenagers.
Critics everywhere are calling
Sin City one of the most violent American films ever made. And the biggest problem is the casual attitude toward killing and torture. People are comparing it to
Natural Born Killers . . . ironically the film that Columbine Killers Harris and Klebold idolized, even referring to their upcoming killing spree as NBK day.
Don’t see this film . . . even though it's "art."
Side Note:
As said above, we recommend you skip this film. But on the occasion that your teen actually has already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
Jonathan McKee, president of The Source for Youth
Ministry, is the author of numerous books including the new
Should I Just Smash My Kid's Phone?, and youth ministry books like
Ministry By Teenagers,
Connect: Real Relationships in a
World of Isolation, and the award winning book
Do They Run When They See You Coming? Jonathan
speaks and trains at conferences, churches and events across North
America, all while providing free resources for youth workers and parents on his
websites,
TheSource4YM.com and
TheSource4Parents.com. You can follow Jonathan on
his blog, getting a regular dose of youth culture and parenting help.
Jonathan and his wife Lori, and their three teenagers Alec, Alyssa and Ashley live
in California.
