IN Robert Rodriguez’s violent, angry filming of Frank Miller’s cartoon strip fantasy views of the underbelly of American society, this city sleeps by day and wakes after sunset.

Power, lust, greed, hatred and ultra-violence resume scattering their nefarious influences among men who know not how to contribute to healing society’s illnesses and women whose bodies are a currency circulating among the highest bidders.

Rodriguez might validly be called the high priest of the cult of films that use those values as brain fodder for people seeking polemics that might explain their popularity. He cuts straight to the chase and keeps it running at full throttle until nobody is left to maintain the story, which does, however, offer messages to those willing to see them.

Channel surfing recently, I happened across the first “Sin City” and the death of Hartigan (Bruce Willis) whose spectre keeps popping up in “A Dame To Kill For”. There’s a woman on that case (not the one to kill for) and vengeance is her motive. There’s also a corrupt senator and a venal businessman whose wife might indeed inspire murder.

Few of the film’s women are what a young man would take home to meet the parents. The film’s principal example of that kind ends up in four pieces.

It’s that kind of movie. I can’t say it was loveable, but I watched every frame of it in 2D without dozing off.

At Dendy, Limelight and Hoyts Belconnen