CANNIBALISM, dismemberment and paedophilia - it's not often that a movie dwelling on these three issues turns out to be a heck of a lot of fun.

But you haven't had the pleasure of seeing Sin City yet.

A dazzlingly violent adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novels, co-directed by him and Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk 'Til Dawn), it's simply the most invigorating and entertaining piece of cinema since Kill Bill, plus a shockingly cool quotient that hasn't really been present on the big screen since Pulp Fiction.

And in a very Tarantino-type of move, we follow three separate but interlinked tales set in Basin City (the town sign has the first two letters scribbled out - geddit?), meeting prostitutes, corrupt police, yellow men and Irish neo-Nazis along the way.

After a stylish but somewhat bland opening starring Josh Hartnett as a smooth-talking assassin, we're introduced to honest cop Hartigan (Bruce Willis), who's on a mission to save an 11-year-old girl from the scary son of a corrupt senator.

After he then spends years in solitary confinement, he gets out to try to tie up the loose ends of the situation once and for all.

Then there's hard man Marv (Mickey Rourke), who spends a glorious night with hooker Ginger, only to wake up and find that she's been murdered.

Getting his lesbian parole officer to help him find her killer, he's led to the door of Kevin (Elijah Wood), who has a penchant for eating ladies of the night.

Finally, we meet Dwight (Clive Owen), who chases his girlfriend's abusive ex (Benicio Del Toro) into the part of town that the prostitutes rule by the sword, and ends up having to take part in a war and save his own ex-love Gail (Rosario Dawson), which nearly brings down the whole demented place.

If you haven't worked out by now that Sin City is strictly for adults, let me emphasise the fact that it's for those who aren't offended by graphic and relentless violence, combined with nudity and line-crossing.

The 18 certificate is definitely there for a reason.

But thanks to the monochrome palette, which uses bright, effective flashes of colour, all the white/yellow bloodshed seems not as bad as it would be in full Technicolor horror.

Miller has always been up front about the fact that much of his inspiration comes from film noir, and, indeed, a reverence for the genre is all over Sin City.

It's strangely and refreshingly chivalrous, though, whereas noir is misogynist, as each story revolves around a man wanting to help or avenge a woman.

So, if watching a talking corpse with a gun barrel sticking out of his forehead is your cup of tea, do not miss this stunning, funny riot.