Welcome to Basin City, a cesspool of sex, violence and depravity, captured in moody sepia tones and garish splashes of colour.

An about-to-retire cop (Bruce Willis) gets involved with his last case and finds himself in deep trouble. Next, a dangerous lunatic (Mickey Rourke) has a night he'll never forget with a young lady, only to wake up with her dead in bed next to him.

And a bloke named Dwight (Clive Owen) finds himself in the middle of a war between the ladies of the night who control Old Town, the mob that wants to muscle in, and the cops.

It's a recipe for carnage and the desecration of all that's sacred (there's even a castration scene for all you gore fans). This is film noir, mystery, action and romance packed into one angry thriller.

You may have guessed, if you didn't already know, that this is a screen adaption of a series of graphic novels by one of the masters of the genre, Frank Miller.

It's co-directed by not one, nor two, but three people - Miller, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Miller has a quirky cameo role as a priest, by the way.

The similarities between the movie and the three original stories are mind-blowing and the effects, which include lots of digital malarky, are stunning. Even Elijah Wood manages to be scary. The only downside is the dialogue, which at times sounds a bit stilted when it's spoken aloud - it's better in the books.

It has to be admitted that this is one extremely violent movie, and if graphic novels ain't your cuppa, steer clear.