Much of the film content of "Sin" is excessively violent and unpleasant. The screenwriters have also shamelessly recycled one of the classic screen thriller moments from the hall of mirrors scene in "The Lady From Shanghai." And was it not possible to come up with a more imaginative title than "Sin"? Yet there is one compelling reason to see this movie, and that is for the performances of Ving Rhames and Gary Oldman.
In the same way that the film "Heat" established a dynamic duel between Al Pacino's detective and Robert DeNiro's thief, the most interesting scenes in "Sin" are those that bring together the ex-cop (Rhames) and the sleazy drug lord (Oldman). The plot concerns the maniacal acts perpetrated by Oldman's character, who is pursued by Rhames' character, the former cop who lost part of his arm and all of his idealism after a shady police arrest and illegal interrogation of an alleged cop-killer.
There is one riveting moment when in the middle of an action scene, the characters discourse on the topic of conscience. In this conversation, our perception of both Rhames' and Oldman's characters change when we realize that one of the characters is totally without conscience and the other has been driven by the human emotion of guilt. But this moment remains buried among predictable and even cliched action scenes piled one on top of another.
If the film could have just focused on the internal development of the two principal characters, eliminating the violent action sequences, it would have been more watchable and more memorable. There is something special about these two exceptional actors, however, that enables Rhames and Oldman to rise above the material.
Plot summary
Retired cop Eddie Burns gave 15 years and the use of his left arm to the Reno homicide squad. When his wayward sister, Kassie, goes missing Eddie Burns finds himself subjected to a fiendish and ingenious campaign of revenge by the mysterious Charlie Strom. In order to protect his sister, Eddie - disabled, betrayed and alone - journeys into the heart of his own darkness: where he discovers that the reason for his ordeal lies in his own past sins and those of his adversary Charlie Strom.
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Rhames and Oldman in Duel
It Could've Been Better
"Sin" is a uneven but entertaining revenge film. The plot: Ex-Cop Eddie Burns (Rhames) wants revenge for the rape of his sister. He encounters all sorts of seedy types when he realizes his old nemesis Charlie Strom (Oldman) was in on it. A cat and mouse game begins, and secrets are revealed, who will escape?
There is one great scene with Gary Oldman and Ving Rhames where they talk about the nature of life and conscience. That scene is almost worth the price of the rental. Besides that scene, the whole movie is piled with clichés and underwritten characters. The movie wastes Gregg Henry and Brian Cox. The chase scene near the end looks like a car commercial. I give a a ** star rating
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Sin sucks!
I've been watching this stupid movie for an hour and boy does it suck! Rhames just saved a woman from a fate worse than death and she had a hissy because he called her "baby". That's just an example of one in a long string of stupid moments in this unninspired, unoriginal amateurish junk flick. If it gets better, I'll let you know before posting this comment. Otherwise, just pass on "Sin". (C-)