I have an apology to make to Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller, Dimension Films and the entire cast and crew of “Sin City.” I took too long to get my review of this release done. But there’s a really good reason for that. It had so much freakin’ stuff on the double-disc set that I never had time to finish it all during the busy Christmas season.

So, a little late, I’m finally able to weigh in on the new DVD release of “Sin City” – Recut, Extended and Unrated.

Back in August when this film was originally released on DVD, I was sorely disappointed. Like the “Kill Bill” releases, the old version of “Sin City” came solo, without anything more than the trailer and a behind-the-scenes featurette. Of course, I knew that I didn’t need to worry. Rodriguez never leaves us DVD-philes hungry for long. I knew that a special edition loaded down with bonus features would soon be on its way.

I wasn’t disappointed. Oh God, I wasn’t disappointed at all.

This new DVD or “Sin City” is as good as a DVD can get. It has been put together with the care and understanding of the fans that matches the quality of Pixar’s releases. Too often, I watch a DVD and am left wanting something more. Whether they miss a director’s commentary or a batch of deleted scenes, it’s rare to find a DVD that is perfect.

Well, “Sin City – Recut, Extended, Unrated” is.

The release comes with two discs. The first comes with the original theatrical release, featuring not one... not two... but three alternate audio tracks. In one, Rodriguez chats with Frank Miller about the conception of the film and how they worked together as co-directors. In the second commentary, Quentin Tarantino joins Rodriguez to discuss their love of “Sin City,” the comic books and how the film was made from their own perspectives. The third track isn’t a commentary, but instead a live recording of the reaction of a crowd in Austin as the film was screened – not exactly highly educational but interesting nonetheless.

Also on the first disc are four featurettes focusing on different aspects of the filmmaking process – cars, props, make-up and costumes. Each is well put together an informational without bogging down or going on too long.

A special mention from the first disc goes to the “Sin-Chroni-City” activity that takes the viewer through a timeline of the Sin City world. It cross links characters and settings, times and places, all with special video and audio clips as well. You can spend hours poking around here and still have more to find.

There are two other featurettes, one from the original DVD release in which Rodriguez explains how he got Frank Miller to agree to the project, and the other about Quentin Tarantino as the guest director. These and the standard gallery of trailers round off the disc.

The second disc comes with a rut and extended release of the film. Instead of just presenting deleted scenes from the movie, Rodriguez cuts them into the four separate stories and breaks them into their own segments so you can watch them as individual video comics.

Other special features on the second disc include another installment of Robert Rodriguez’s “15-Minute Film School.” This isn’t nearly as good as his original one from his “El Mariachi” release, considering that most would-be filmmakers just don’t have the access to the equipment, talent and software that Rodriguez does, but it still is interesting. If you were wondering what the movie looks like without the effects, Rodriguez throws in the entire film sped up 10 times all in green screen.

There’s also a second installment of Rodriguez’s “10-Minute Cooking School” in which he teaches us to make breakfast tacos, which fueled him during the long days and nights of editing the movie. We’re also treated to a concert with Bruce Willis from a cast and crew party as well as a raw, 14-minute uninterrupted take of Quentin Tarantino’s segment.

All these great features aside, the part I treasure the most from this DVD is a reprint of Frank Miller’s original “Sin City” comic “The Hard Goodbye.” Not only is this a great work of art from comic guru Frank Miller, but it’s also a great comparison to the film to really see how accurate the adaptation was.



Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DTS 5.1 Digital Surround Sound. Widescreen (1.85:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions. French language track. Spanish subtitles. English subtitles for the hearing impaired.