Sin City (film)

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Sin City
Directed by Frank Miller
Robert Rodriguez
Special Guest Director:
Quentin Tarantino
Produced by Elizabeth Avellan
Frank Miller
Robert Rodriguez
Written by Frank Miller
Starring Bruce Willis
Mickey Rourke
Clive Owen
Jessica Alba
Benicio Del Toro
Brittany Murphy
Nick Stahl
Elijah Wood
Rosario Dawson
Jaime King
Michael Clarke Duncan
Alexis Bledel
Powers Boothe
Josh Hartnett
Devon Aoki
Carla Gugino
Rutger Hauer
Music by John Debney
Graeme Revell
Robert Rodriguez
Cinematography Robert Rodriguez
Editing by Robert Rodriguez
Distributed by Dimension Films
Release date(s) April 1, 2005
Running time 124 min.
Country USA USA
Language English
Budget $40,000,000
Followed by Sin City 2
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile
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Sin City is a gritty 2005 neo-noir anthology film based on the graphic novel series of the same name, directed by Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez, and "Special Guest Director" Quentin Tarantino. The film is primarily based on four Sin City stories: "The Customer is Always Right", "The Hard Goodbye", "The Big Fat Kill" and "That Yellow Bastard". The film focuses on the fictional northwestern Basin City, a corrupt and violent town where tales of murder, romance and revenge intertwine.

Sin City was screened at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival in competition. Some felt having an American film based on a violent comic book being screened for competition was inappropriate.[citation needed] The film was well-received at the festival and won Robert Rodriguez the Technical Grand Prize for the film's "visual shaping." [1] The film received financial and critical success and stars an ensemble cast.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Bruce Willis as Hartigan.
Bruce Willis as Hartigan.

The film begins on a balcony overlooking the highlights of Basin City, a grimy, violent and corrupted place. The Customer (Shelton) is greeted by The Salesman (Hartnett), who offers her a cigarette before mysteriously killing her. The film then moves to the docks of Sin City, where aging police officer John Hartigan (Willis) is attempting to stop child molester Roark Junior (Stahl) from raping eleven year-old Nancy Callahan. He succeeds in shooting off Junior's ear, arm and genitals before being shot by his partner, Bob.

The story then cuts to Marv (Rourke), a hulking thug who is in a hotel room with the beautiful Goldie (King). After making passionate love, Marv awakens to find that Goldie has been murdered. Realizing he has been framed, he attacks the corrupt police officers and storms the streets, vowing to avenge Goldie's death. He stops at the apartment of Lucille (Gugino), his parole officer, who unsuccessfully warns him to give up on the mission.

Marv then visits Kadie's Bar in search of information. He is visited by two hitmen who are then beaten and killed after revealing who sent them. Marv then visits each informant for information, working his way up to a corrupt priest (Miller), who reveals that the Roark family was behind the murder of Goldie. Marv kills the priest and steals his car, but is then attacked and shot at by a bizarre woman with a strong resemblance to Goldie.

Marv arrives at the Roark family farm where he fights a wolf and then uncovers remains of dead women. He is then attacked by silent stalker Kevin (Wood), who is revealed to be Goldie's killer. Marv is knocked unconscious and awakens in Kevin's basement, where the heads of past victims are mounted on the wall. Also present is Lucille, who, having lost her hand, reveals that Kevin is a cannibal and Goldie was a prostitute. Marv breaks free and flees with Lucille, but a group of soldiers arrive and kill Lucille. Marv kills them off and discovers that Cardinal Patrick Henry Roark arranged for Goldie's murder.

Mickey Rourke as Marv and Jaime King as Goldie.
Mickey Rourke as Marv and Jaime King as Goldie.

Marv goes to Old Town, a section of Sin City reserved particularly for prostitution. Marv is captured and tortured by the women of Old Town, including Goldie's look-alike, who is revealed to be her twin sister Wendy. After revealing that Kevin killed Goldie and the others, Marv and Wendy collect weapons and return to the farm, hoping to finally avenge Goldie's death. Marv attacks Kevin and severs his limbs before the wolf eats him alive. Marv takes his decapitated head to Cardinal Roark, who reveals that Kevin was a deeply religious boy who began eating prostitutes to swallow their souls. He persuaded the cardinal to join in, and when Goldie realized what was happening, she was killed. Marv kills the cardinal and is shot by his guards.

Marv survives, however, and is tried and convicted for many murders, including that of Lucille, Kevin's victims and Goldie. While on death row, Wendy visits Marv and they make love. Shortly afterwards, Marv is electrocuted to death by the state.

The story then cuts to Shellie (Murphy), a local barmaid who is being harassed by her drunk and violent ex-boyfriend Jackie Boy (del Toro). Her current boyfriend Dwight (Owen) is disgusted with his behavior and shoves his head into a urine-filled toilet bowl after Jackie Boy punches Shellie. An embarrassed Jackie Boy flees with his friends, heading to Old Town to cause further trouble. Dwight follows them and watches them harass young prostitute Becky (Bledel). Also watching is Gail (Dawson), Dwight's on-and-off lover.

Clive Owen as Dwight.
Clive Owen as Dwight.

When Jackie Boy threatens Becky with a gun, martial arts expert Miho (Aoki) sweeps down, severs Jackie Boy's hand with a swastika shaped ninja star and mutilates his friends with a samurai sword. She then causes his gun barrel to backfire, nearly killing him. After listening to Jackie boy talk to himself, Miho nearly severes his head, making "a pez dispenser out of him". As the prostitutes collect the dead men's money, they realize that Jackie Boy is a well-respected police officer; his death spells a certain end to the truce between the police and the prostitutes, and war against Old Town will be inevitable.

Dwight agrees to take the corpses to the local tar pit while a traumatized Becky returns home. While driving to the tar pit, Dwight has a hallucinatory conversation with Jackie Boy's corpse, who taunts him as he is chased by a police officer. Dwight talks his way out of the situation and arrives at the tar pit but is shot by mercenaries. Meanwhile, head mercenary Manute (Duncan) arrives in Old Town and kidnaps Gail, explaining that an informant has revealed everything and that other mercenaries are currently invading Old Town.

Dwight kills the mercenaries but is knocked into the tar by a bomb; he sinks into the tar and nearly drowns before Miho arrives and saves him. However, the other mercenaries have escaped and have taken Jackie Boy's severed head with them. They chase after the mercenaries and have a car accident, followed by a violent shoot-out that ends with the death of both mercenaries and the retrieval of Jackie Boy's head. Dwight devises a plan and returns to Old Town.

Meanwhile, Gail is being tortured and learns that Becky informed the mercenaries out of fear and greed. Manute receives a letter from Dwight, offering Jackie Boy's head in exchange for Gail. They meet in the back-alley, where the trade is made; as the mercenaries attempt to kill them, the other prostitutes of Old Town arrive and kill the mercenaries. Amidst the gunfire, an injured Becky escapes while Dwight and Gail kiss passionately.

The story then returns to Hartigan, who is recovering in a hospital. Senator Roark, Junior's father, arrives and informs him that Junior is in a coma and that all plans for the Roark legacy are now in serious jeopardy. Senator Roark reveals that Hartigan will survive, however, and will be framed for Junior's crimes and serve the resultant jail term. Additionally, if Hartigan tells anyone the truth, the informed person will be killed. A grateful Nancy visits and thanks him. She departs.

Hartigan doesn't protest and goes to prison, where he receives a weekly letter from Nancy. After eight years, however, the letters stop arriving, and then Hartigan receives a severed finger instead. Realizing she could be kidnapped by the Roarks, Hartigan confesses to molesting the children and is freed from jail. As a deformed, yellow-skinned man stalks him, Hartigan searches for Nancy, eventually finding her at Kadie's Bar, where she has blossomed into a beautiful nineteen year-old stripper (Alba).

Realizing that the severed finger was a fake, Hartigan is greeted by Nancy, who is overwhelmed and then plans to go to her apartment with him. Along the way, they are attacked by the yellow-skinned man but Hartigan successfully fights back. Upon arriving at the apartment, Nancy reveals that she is in love with Hartigan, much to his discomfort. The deformed man returns and attacks them, revealing that he is Junior and has now become the Yellow Bastard.

The Yellow Bastard, having been disfigured by the years of surgery necessary to regenerate his missing pieces, leaves Hartigan for dead and takes Nancy to the farm to finally rape and kill her. Hartigan escapes, however, and flees to the farm, where the Yellow Bastard is whipping her. Hartigan kills the guards and then corners the Yellow Bastard, but collapses and is unable to do more. However, he has fooled the Yellow Bastard and stabs him before castrating and killing him.

Hartigan explains his plans to reveal Senator Roark's corruption to the police and finally bring down the corruption in Sin City. After departing with Nancy, Hartigan reveals that this would be impossible, and he then commits suicide in order to ensure Nancy's safety.

In the epilogue, an injured Becky is seen departing from a hospital. While riding in the elevator, she is discovered by the Salesman, who offers her a cigarette.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Cast

(Organized by the story they primarily appear in)

[edit] The Customer is Always Right

"The Customer is Always Right"
"The Customer is Always Right"


[edit] The Hard Goodbye

"The Hard Goodbye"
"The Hard Goodbye"


[edit] The Big Fat Kill

"The Big Fat Kill"
"The Big Fat Kill"


[edit] That Yellow Bastard

"That Yellow Bastard"
"That Yellow Bastard"


[edit] Production

Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller on the set of the film.
Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller on the set of the film.

After a particularly bad Hollywood experience on the third RoboCop film, Sin City creator Frank Miller did not want to release the film rights in fear of a similar result. However, Robert Rodriguez, a long-time fan of the graphic novels, was eager to make an adaptation. His plan was to make a fully authentic adaptation, follow the source material closely, and make a "translation, not an adaptation."

In hopes of convincing Miller to give the project his blessing, Rodriguez shot a "proof of concept" adaptation of the Sin City story "The Customer is Always Right" (starring Josh Hartnett and Marley Shelton) in an attempt to convince Miller that the film would be as faithful to the source as possible. Rodriguez flew Miller into Austin to be present at this test shooting, and Miller was very happy with the results. Soon production was under way with Miller wanting to be as involved with the project as much as possible (this "proof of concept" adaptation was later used as the opening scene for the completed film).

This is one of the first films (along with Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Casshern, and Immortel (Ad Vitam)) to be shot primarily on a digital backlot. The film employed the use of the Sony HDC-950 high-definition digital camera, having the actors work in front of a green screen, that allowed for the artificial backgrounds (as well as some major foreground elements, such as cars) to be added later during the post-production stage. However, it should be noted that three of the sets on the film were practical (i.e. constructed by hand). They were:

  1. Kadie's Bar, where all of the major characters make an appearance at least once.
  2. Shellie's apartment. The front door and kitchen are real, while bathroom and corridors are artificial.
  3. The hospital corridor in the epilogue. Although the first shot of walking feet was done on greenscreen, the corridor in the next shot is real. The background becomes artificial again when the interior of the elevator is shown.
Top frame, the finished film. Bottom frame, the scene being filmed. Both the actress (Alexis Bledel) and the car are stationary; the actress is walking in place on a treadmill.
Top frame, the finished film. Bottom frame, the scene being filmed. Both the actress (Alexis Bledel) and the car are stationary; the actress is walking in place on a treadmill.

While the use of a green screen has become quite standard for special effects filming, the use of high-definition digital cameras is quite noteworthy in the production of this film. The combination of these two techniques makes Sin City (along with Sky Captain, which was produced the same way) one of the few fully digital, live action motion pictures. This technique also means that the whole film was initially shot in full color, and was converted back to high-quality black-and-white. Colorization is used on certain subjects in a scene, such as eyes, lips, or clothing. The film was color corrected digitally and, as in film noir tradition, treated for heightened contrast so as to more clearly separate blacks and whites. This was done not only to give the film a more film noir look, but also to make it appear more like the original comic. This technique was used again on another Frank Miller-adaptation, 300, which was shot on film.

Principal photography began on March 29, 2004. Several of the scenes were shot before every actor was currently signed-on; as a result, several stand-ins were used before the actual actors were digitally added into the film during post-production. [2] Rodriguez, an aficionado of cinematic technology, has used similar techniques in the past. In [3] critic Roger Ebert's review of the film, he recalled Rodriguez's speech during production of Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams: "This is the future! You don't wait six hours for a scene to be lighted. You want a light over here, you grab a light and put it over here. You want a nuclear submarine, you make one out of thin air and put your characters into it."

The film was noted throughout production for Rodriguez's plan to stay faithful to the source material, unlike most other comic book adaptations. Rodriguez stated that he considered the film to be "less of an adaptation than a translation." [4] As a result, there is no screenwriting in the credits; simply "Based on the graphic novels by Frank Miller." There were several minor changes, such as dialogue trimming, new colorized objects, removal of some nudity, slightly edited violence and minor deleted scenes. A full list of differences can be viewed here.

Three directors received credit for Sin City: Miller, Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, the latter for directing one scene in the film--a rather sprawling number for a film budgeted at just $40 million. Miller and Rodriguez were very much a team as far as directing the rest of the film. Despite having no previous directorial background, Miller was greatly involved in the direction of the film, providing direction to the actors on their motivations and what they needed to bring to each scene. Because of this (not to mention the fact that Miller's original novels were used as storyboards), Rodriguez felt that they should both be credited as directors on the film.

When the Directors Guild of America refused to allow two directors that were not an established team to be credited (especially since Miller had never directed before), Rodriguez first planned to give Miller full credit. Miller would not accept this, as he certainly could not have done it without Rodriguez. Rodriguez, also refusing to take full credit, decided to resign from the Guild so that the joint credit could remain.

[edit] Reception

The film opened on April 1, 2005 to largely positive reviews, receiving a 78% “Certified Fresh” rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert awarded the film four stars, describing it as "a visualization of the pulp noir imagination, uncompromising and extreme. Yes, and brilliant."[5] Online critical reaction was particularly strong: James Berardinelli placed the film on his list of the ten best films of 2005.[6] Several critics, such as Ebert, compared the film favorably to other comic book adaptations, particularly Batman [7] and Hulk [8]. Critic Chauncey Mabe of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel wrote, "Really, there will be no reason for anyone to make a comic-book film ever again. Miller and Rodriguez have pushed the form as far as it can possibly go."[9]

Several critics were displeased, however, criticizing the film’s nihilism and graphic violence. William Arnold of the Seattle-Post Intelligencer slammed the film as "super-corrupt, super-violent, super-shadowy, and in every other way super-exaggerated."[10] New York Times critic Manohla Dargis claimed that it is "hard to get pulled into the story on any level other than the visceral," writing the film off as Rodriguez's hermetic, "private experience" and a "bore."[11] Fellow Times critic A. O. Scott, identifying Who Framed Roger Rabbit as its chief cinematic predecessor, argued that "Sin City offers sensation without feeling, death without grief, sin without guilt and, ultimately, novelty without surprise."[12]

Sin City grossed $29.1 million on opening weekend, defeating fellow opener Beauty Shop by more than twice in its opening take. However, as is the case with many highly-promoted films, especially comic book adaptations, the film saw sharp declines in later weeks (And dropping over fifty percent in its second weekend). Ultimately, the film ended its North American run with a gross of $74.1 million, far surpassing its $40 million production budget. Overseas, the film was a similar success, grossing $84.6 million for a worldwide total of $158.7 million.

The passions generated among moviegoers, both for and against the movie, were illustrated by an incident in Australia. A male cinema patron in Bathurst bit the tip off another man's nose, following an argument about Sin City. The two men, who were not known to each other, began arguing after a screening on July 17, 2005. The man's nose was restored by surgery and police were said to be searching for his attacker.[13]

[edit] Release of DVD versions

The Region 1 DVD was released on August 16, 2005. The single-disc edition was released with four different slipcovers to choose from and featured a "Behind-the-Scenes" documentary. Then, on December 13, 2005, the special edition DVD was released, known as the "Recut, Extended, Unrated" edition.

The Recut, Extended, Unrated Edition.
The Recut, Extended, Unrated Edition.

The Special Edition was a two-disc set, featuring both the 126 minute theatrical release, along with the 147 minute Extended edition (this edition restored edited and deleted scenes that were missing from the theatrical edition). Bonus material included an audio commentary with director Rodriguez and Miller, a commentary with Rodriguez and Tarantino, and a third commentary featuring the recorded "audience reaction" at the Austin, Texas Premiere. Also included were various behind-the-scenes documentaries and features, as well as the complete graphic novel "The Hard Goodbye," which is commonly priced at about USD $17.00 in bookstores.

It is announced that Sin City would be released in the next-gen Home Theater format Blu-Ray Disc later in 2007.

[edit] Soundtrack

Main article: Sin City (Soundtrack)

Original music was composed by Rodriguez as well as Graeme Revell and John Debney. The three main stories in the film ("The Hard Goodbye", "The Big Fat Kill" and "That Yellow Bastard") were scored by an individual composer: Revell scored "Goodbye", Debney scored "Kill" and Rodriguez scored "Bastard". Additionally, Rodriguez co-scored with the other two composers on several tracks.

Another notable piece of music used was the instrumental version of the song "Cells" by the London-based alternative group The Servant. The song was heavily featured in the film's publicity, including the promotional trailers and television spots, as well as being featured on the film's DVD menus. The lyrical version is downloadable via The Servant's website.

[edit] Sequels

Sequels to Sin City were planned before the film's release, as Rodriguez has expressed desire to adapt all of the Sin City comics in the future. Rodriguez also planned to film two sequels back-to-back for releases in 2007 and 2008, similar to the production strategy involved with the two Pirates of the Caribbean sequels. Many rumors regarding casting have resulted, and it is likely that Johnny Depp may play the role of Wallace, the protagonist of the final Sin City comic "Hell and Back." Sin City 2 is currently in the pre-production stage, with the only known fact being that the film will feature the story "A Dame to Kill For."

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ [2]
  3. ^ http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050331/REVIEWS/50322001
  4. ^ http://imdb.com/title/tt0401792/trivia
  5. ^ http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050331/REVIEWS/50322001/1023
  6. ^ http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/s/sin_city.html
  7. ^ http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19890623/REVIEWS/906230301/1023
  8. ^ http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030620/REVIEWS/306200304/1023
  9. ^ http://www.film-finder.com/Review.asp?ID=46173
  10. ^ http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/218296_sincity01q.html
  11. ^ http://movies2.nytimes.com/2005/04/01/movies/01sin.html?ex=1153281600&en=7e266ef33d532f3a&ei=5070
  12. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/24/movies/24scot.html?ex=1271995200&en=83f36c443f1c41eb&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
  13. ^ http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/07/18/1121538902049.html?from=top5 The Sydney Morning Herald, "Teen's nose bitten off in row over Sin City" (July 18, 2005). Access date: February 13, 2007.

[edit] External links

Sin City
Yarns The Hard Goodbye | A Dame to Kill For | The Babe Wore Red and Other Stories | Silent Night | The Big Fat Kill | That Yellow Bastard | Daddy's Little Girl | Lost, Lonely, & Lethal | Sex & Violence | Just Another Saturday Night | Family Values | Hell and Back (a Sin City Love Story) | Booze, Broads, & Bullets
Films Sin City | Sin City 2 (in production)
Characters Marv | Jack Rafferty | Nancy Callahan | John Hartigan | Dwight McCarthy | Wallace | Miho | Kevin | Cardinal Roark | Ava Lord | Junior/That Yellow Bastard | Senator Roark | The Girls of Old Town | List of characters from Sin City
People Frank Miller | Robert Rodriguez


Films written and directed by Robert Rodríguez
Bedhead • El Mariachi • Roadracers • Four Rooms • Desperado • From Dusk Till Dawn • The Faculty • Spy Kids • Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams • Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over • Once Upon a Time in Mexico • Sin City • The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl in 3-D • Grindhouse • Sin City 2
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