Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Sin City

 
Movies:

Sin City

 
  • Directors: Robert Rodriguez; Frank Miller
  • AMG Rating: starstarstarstar
  • Genre: Crime
  • Movie Type: Post-Noir (Modern Noir), Crime Thriller
  • Themes: Out For Revenge, Femmes Fatales, Prostitutes
  • Main Cast: Jessica Alba, Devon Aoki, Alexis Bledel, Powers Boothe, Rosario Dawson
  • Release Year: 2005
  • Country: US
  • Run Time: 126 minutes
  • MPAA Rating: R

Plot

The Eisner Award-winning comic series Sin City comes to life in this live-action feature adaptation from director Robert Rodriguez and creator Frank Miller. Interweaving multiple storylines from the series' history, this violent crime noir paints the picture of the ultimate town without pity through the eyes of its roughest characters. There's the street thug Marv (Mickey Rourke), whose desperate quest to find the killer of a prostitute named Goldie (Jaime King) will lead him to the foulest edges of town. Inhabiting many of those areas is Dwight (Clive Owen), a photographer in league with the sordid ladies of Sin City, headed by Gail (Rosario Dawson), who opens up a mess of trouble after tangling with a corrupt cop by the name of Jackie Boy (Benicio Del Toro). Finally, there's Hartigan (Bruce Willis), an ex-cop with a heart problem who's hell-bent on protecting a stripper named Nancy (Jessica Alba). Featuring a who's who supporting cast that includes Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Devon Aoki, and Nick Stahl, Sin City promises to be one of the most direct translations from page to screen of a comic series, with shots and dialogue adapted straight from the original comic's panels. Rodriguez quit the Director's Guild when they refused to let Frank Miller co-direct the film, a deal hashed out after the two collaborators developed and shot the opening scene utilizing a green-screen process to harness the stark, black-and-white look of the books as a litmus test for the rest of the production. Quentin Tarantino was brought in and reportedly paid one dollar to direct an extended scene between Del Toro and Owen that amounts to one issue of The Big Fat Kill miniseries. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Review

As far as comic adaptations go, Sin City is an unprecedented book-to-screen translation that's locked, loaded, and rip-roaring ready to introduce movie audiences to the mad genius that is Frank Miller. By meticulously re-creating the acclaimed comic creator's most personal work, co-director Robert Rodriguez has given Miller's creation the chance to live and breathe using the exact hard-nosed dialogue and iconic camera shots from the acclaimed graphic novels. The end result is a mad brushstroke of digital filmmaking that is risqué enough to be considered bold, while palatable enough for exploitive entertainment purposes. It remains to be seen what the unprepared masses will think of Sin City -- in fact, there couldn't be a better, more PC time for the flick to hit. Basically a slap in the face to neo-conservative ideals, the film is so full of gleeful graphic violence and raw, steaming sexuality that there's sure to be some kind of backlash somewhere. The cast is a knockout, with major kudos going to Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, and even a smaller, supporting appearance by Rutger Hauer as they fulfill their inspired casting choices and take delicious delight in this world of corruption and sleaze. The stark black-and-white visuals are the real star here though, merging film noir sensibilities and dynamic comic panel storytelling with the help of a heap-load of computer graphics and inventive filmmaking to create something that's new, raw, and refreshing. Additionally, the direct translation is both exciting and a bit jarring, lending an unusual pace that you don't see in modern cinema; just as the gusto violence will turn off many and probably create more cynics in the critical circles, so too will the film continue to polarize its viewers due to its experimental nature. Comparisons will no doubt be drawn between the page and screen for years to come, which might hurt the film simply because it is an adaptation and no matter how direct a translation it is, there's bound to be things that are lost in the process. Still, after years of being jerked around in Hollywood, Miller is finally given the tools to strut his stuff on the big screen and, love it or leave it, perfect or not, that's exactly what Sin City is. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Cast

Benicio Del Toro - Jackie Boy; Michael Clarke Duncan - Manute; Carla Gugino - Lucille; Josh Hartnett - The Man; Rutger Hauer - Cardinal Roark; Jaime King - Goldie / Wendy; Michael Madsen - Bob; Brittany Murphy - Shellie; Clive Owen - Dwight; Mickey Rourke - Marv; Nick Stahl - Junior / Yellow Bastard; Bruce Willis - Hartigan; Elijah Wood - Kevin; Marley Shelton - The Customer; Frank Miller - Priest; Tommy Flanagan - Brian; Rick Gomez - Shlubb

Credit

Jeanette Scott - Art Director, Mary Vernieu - Casting, Brian Bettwy - First Assistant Director, Jeff Bettwy - First Assistant Director, Robert Rodriguez - Director, Frank Miller - Director, Robert Rodriguez - Editor, Bob Weinstein - Executive Producer, Harvey Weinstein - Executive Producer, Bill Scott - Line Producer, John Debney - Composer (Music Score), Graeme Revell - Composer (Music Score), Robert Rodriguez - Composer (Music Score), K.N.B. EFX Group - Makeup Special Effects, Robert Rodriguez - Cinematographer, Robert Rodriguez - Producer, Elizabeth Avellan - Producer, Frank Miller - Producer, Rob Simons - Set Designer, John Pritchett - Sound/Sound Designer, Craig Henighan - Sound/Sound Designer, Jeff Dashnaw - Stunts Coordinator, Robert Rodriguez - Screenwriter, Frank Miller - Screenwriter, Robert Rodriguez - Visual Effects Supervisor, Daniel Leduc - Visual Effects Supervisor, Hybride Technologies - Digital Effects, The Orphanage - Digital Effects, Café FX - Digital Effects, Keefe Boerner - Post Production Supervisor, Tim Rakoczy - Supervising Sound Editor, Keefe Boerner - Visual Effects Producer, Nina Procter - Costumes Supervisor, Jeanette Scott - Set Decorator, Frank Miller - Book Author, Quentin Tarantino - Guest Director

Similar Movies

Streets of Fire; Pulp Fiction; The Man Who Wasn't There; Kiss Me Deadly; Gonin 2; The Spirit
Search unanswered questions...
Enter a word or phrase...
All Community Q&A Reference topics
 
Wikipedia: Sin City (film)
Top
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
Narrated by Bruce Willis
Mickey Rourke
Clive Owen
Starring Bruce Willis
Mickey Rourke
Clive Owen
Jessica Alba
Benicio del Toro
Brittany Murphy
Elijah Wood
Rosario Dawson
Jaime King
Michael Clarke Duncan
Alexis Bledel
Powers Boothe
Michael Madsen
Josh Hartnett
Devon Aoki
Carla Gugino
Rutger Hauer
Marley Shelton
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 Theatrical Cut:
124 min.
Extended Cut:
147 min.
Country  United States
Language English
Budget $40,000,000
Gross revenue [1] Domestic
$74,103,820
Foreign
$84,650,000
Worldwide
$158,753,820
Followed by Sin City 2

Sin City (full title: Frank Miller's Sin City)[2] is an ensemble cast 2005 film written, produced and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. It is a film noir based on Miller's graphic novel series of the same name.

The film is primarily based on three of Miller's works: The Hard Goodbye focuses on a hulking man who embarks on a brutal rampage in search of his one-time lover's killer; The Big Fat Kill focuses on a street war held between a group of prostitutes and a series of mercenaries; and That Yellow Bastard focuses on an aging police officer who protects a young woman from a grotesquely disfigured serial killer. The movie stars Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Clive Owen, Devon Aoki, Alexis Bledel, Michael Clarke Duncan, Rosario Dawson, Benicio del Toro, Michael Madsen, Powers Boothe, Josh Hartnett, Jaime King, Brittany Murphy, Mickey Rourke, Nick Stahl, Elijah Wood and Rutger Hauer, among others.

Sin City opened to wide critical and commercial success, gathering particular recognition for the film's unique coloring process, which rendered most of the film in black and white but retained or added coloring for select objects. The film was screened at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival in-competition and won the Technical Grand Prize for the film's "visual shaping".[3]

Contents

Plot

The Customer is Always Right

In a penthouse on the roof of a skyscraper overlooking Basin City, a fancy party is in progress. A woman (Marley Shelton), dressed in a red evening gown, is alone on the balcony. A man (Josh Hartnett), who is narrating, walks up behind her and offers her a cigarette. They exchange some small talk, he tells her that he sees in her eyes a "crazy calm", of someone who is tired of running, but doesn't want to face her problems alone. He tells her that he will save her, and take her far away. They kiss, then he shoots her. She dies in his arms. He says that he does not know who she was running from, but will "cash her check in the morning."

In the DVD commentary, Frank Miller explains that the victim in this story (the Customer of the title) is actually committing suicide. The unnamed woman had dated a mobster, and when she tried to break it off, he said that he would kill her in the most terrible way possible. She then used her connections to hire a hitman (known as the Salesman) to provide her with a quick death.

That Yellow Bastard (Part 1)

On the docks of Sin City, aging police officer John Hartigan (Bruce Willis) is attempting to stop serial child murderer Roark Junior (Nick Stahl) from raping and killing 11-year-old Nancy Callahan (Makenzie Vega). Junior is the son of the powerful Senator Roark (Powers Boothe), who has paid off the Basin City police to cover up his son's crimes, including Hartigan's partner Bob (Michael Madsen). Bob tries to convince Hartigan to walk away, and appears to succeed, but Hartigan sucker-punches him, knocking him out cold. Hartigan then makes his way into a warehouse, knocking unconscious two local criminals. Junior is inside with the frightened Nancy and two armed henchmen, who are making sure that Junior and Nancy "get along" before leaving them alone. Hartigan shoots and kills the henchmen, but Junior shoots Hartigan in the shoulder, grabs Nancy and runs out to the docks. Hartigan catches up to Junior and shoots off his ear, causing him to drop Nancy. He then shoots off Junior's hand and genitals, before being shot in the back several times by Bob, who has recovered. Bob tells Hartigan to stay down, but Hartigan pulls his reserve gun, provoking Bob to shoot him several more times. As the sirens approach, Hartigan passes out knowing that Nancy is safe, justifying himself with the words "An old man dies, a little girl lives; fair trade."

The Hard Goodbye

After a night of lovemaking, Marv (Mickey Rourke) awakens to find Goldie (Jaime King) murdered. The police arrive, and he flees the frame-up, vowing to avenge Goldie's death. He turns to Lucille (Carla Gugino), his lesbian parole officer, who patches his wounds and unsuccessfully warns him to give up on this mission. Marv heads to Kadie's Bar in search of information, where he interrogates and kills two hitmen sent after him. Marv then shakes down various informants, working his way up to a corrupt priest (Frank Miller), who reveals that a member of the Roark family was behind Goldie's murder. Marv kills the priest, but is then attacked and shot at by a woman with a strong resemblance to Goldie. Marv, recognizing that he has not taken his medication for his "condition" for a long time, considers her to be a hallucination.

Marv arrives at the Roark family farm, where he is subdued by the silent stalker who killed Goldie without waking him. He awakens in the basement, with the heads of the stalker's past victims and Lucille, who was captured and forced to watch the killer eat her hand when she decided to look into Marv's story. She reveals to Marv that the killer is a cannibal. He escapes, and learns that the killer's name is Kevin (Elijah Wood), but Lucille surrenders to an arrving squad of police officers, who gun her down. Enraged, Marv kills them all, hearing from their leader that Cardinal Patrick Henry Roark (Rutger Hauer) arranged for Goldie's murder.

Marv goes to Old Town, Sin City's red light district, seeking confirmation of the killer's identity. He is captured and allows Goldie's look-alike (her twin sister Wendy) to beat him, to convince her that he didn't kill Goldie. Convinced, she and Marv arm themselves and return to the farm. Marv dismembers and kills Kevin, taking the head to Cardinal Roark, who confesses his part in the murders: Kevin had begun killing and eating prostitutes to swallow their souls, and the cardinal joined in; when Goldie began investigating, Roark had her killed. Marv kills the cardinal but is shot by his guards.

Marv is taken to a hospital (an act he calls a waste of time, figuring that he'll be killed anyway). Police try to beat a confession out of him, which only amuses him. Ultimately, the police threaten to kill Marv's mother if he doesn't play along. He confesses to killing not only Roark and Kevin, but their victims as well, and is sentenced to death. He is visited on death row by Wendy, who thanks him for avenging her sister and spends the night with him, telling him he can call her "Goldie." Marv is executed the next day; He survives the first jolt of electricity, his final words being "That's the best you can do, you pansies..." He finally dies after a second jolt.

The Big Fat Kill

Shellie (Brittany Murphy), a barmaid from Kadie's, is being harassed by her abusive and sadistic ex-boyfriend Jackie Boy (Benicio del Toro). Her current boyfriend Dwight (Clive Owen) is disgusted with his brutish rival, and shoves Jackie Boy's head into a urine-filled toilet bowl, warning him to leave Shellie alone. Jackie Boy flees with his friends, heading to Old Town to cause further trouble. Dwight follows them and watches them harass young prostitute Becky (Alexis Bledel). Also watching is Gail (Rosario Dawson), one of the head prostitutes and Dwight's on-and-off lover.

When Jackie Boy threatens Becky with a gun, martial arts expert Miho (Devon Aoki) sweeps down, severing Jackie Boy's hand, and killing his friends. As it becomes apparent Jackie Boy will not die quickly, Dwight asks Miho to finish him. Miho nearly severs his head, making "a Pez dispenser out of him". As the prostitutes collect the dead men's money, they realize that Jackie Boy is actually well-respected police officer Lt Jack Rafferty; If the circumstances of his death are discovered, they spell 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. On the way, he 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 suddenly shot by Irish mercenaries. Meanwhile, head mercenary Manute (Michael Clarke Duncan) arrives in Old Town and kidnaps Gail, explaining that an informant has revealed everything and that mob boss Wallenquist's men are moving to invade Old Town.

Dwight has survived the mercenary's bullet, which was stopped by Lt Rafferty's badge. He kills several mercenaries but is knocked into the tar by a grenade; 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 he and Miho return to Old Town.

As Gail is being tortured, she learns that Becky was the traitor, informing the mercenaries out of fear and greed. Manute receives a letter from Dwight via an arrow from Miho, offering Jackie Boy's head in exchange for Gail. They meet in the back-alley, where the trade is made, though the mercenaries plan to kill them anyway. Dwight suddenly activates a grenade he had placed in Jackie Boy's Head, completely destroying it and any evidence that could have been taken to the cops. The other prostitutes of Old Town then reveal themselves on the roof tops surrounding the alley and gun down the mercenaries. Amidst the gunfire, an injured Becky escapes while Dwight and Gail kiss passionately.

That Yellow Bastard (Part 2)

"That Yellow Bastard"

Hartigan, who survived his wounds, is recovering in a hospital. Senator Roark (Boothe), Junior's father, arrives and informs him that Junior is in a coma and all plans for the Roark legacy are now in serious jeopardy. Senator Roark reveals that Hartigan will survive, be framed for Junior's crimes and serve the resultant jail term. Additionally, if Hartigan tells anyone the truth, they will die. A grateful Nancy visits and thanks him, promising to write him letters every week while he is in prison.

Hartigan complies and goes to jail, knowing it is the only way to protect Nancy and his loved ones, although he refuses to officially confess to the crimes, preventing any possibility of parole. He receives a weekly letter from Nancy as promised. After eight years, however, the letters stop arriving, and then Hartigan receives a severed finger instead. Realizing she could have been kidnapped by the Roarks, Hartigan finally confesses to all charges, knowing this will lead to his release and being able to help Nancy. Outside the jail, he reunites with his old partner, Bob, who has come to regret his actions. Bob drives Hartigan to the city, telling him that Hartigan's wife has remarried and has children. Unknowingly being stalked by a deformed, yellow-skinned man, Hartigan searches for Nancy, eventually finding her at Kadie's Bar, where she has become a 19-year-old erotic dancer (Jessica Alba).

Realizing that the severed finger was a fake and that he was set up to lead the Roarks to Nancy, he tries to leave unnoticed; she sees him, however, and jumps into his arms and kisses him passionately. Knowing they have been "made", they quickly escape in Nancy's car. The yellow-skinned man follows in his own car and shoots at them, but Hartigan shoots back, hitting the yellow-skinned man in the neck. When Hartigan and Nancy turn back to confirm the kill, the yellow-skinned man hides in the back of Nancy's car. Arriving at a hotel, Nancy reveals that she is in love with Hartigan and tries to seduce him. At first Hartigan gives in, but stops after reminding himself that he is old enough to be her grandfather. The deformed man returns and attacks them again, revealing himself as Junior Roark, although Hartigan now refers to him as the Yellow Bastard.

The Yellow Bastard, having been disfigured by the years of surgery necessary to regenerate his missing body parts, leaves Hartigan for dead, having hanged him, and takes Nancy to the Roark farm to finally rape and kill her. Hartigan escapes, however, and tracks the Yellow Bastard to the farm, where he is whipping and torturing Nancy. Hartigan kills the guards and then corners the Yellow Bastard and fakes a heart attack to fool him into letting go of Nancy, giving Hartigan the chance to stab him before again castrating him (this time with his bare hands) and beating him to death.

Hartigan tells Nancy his plans to reveal Senator Roark's corruption to the police and finally bring down organized crime in Sin City, in order to convince her to leave him. They kiss passionately and Nancy departs. Hartigan, knowing that Senator Roark would never stop hunting them as long as Hartigan lived, commits suicide in order to ensure Nancy's safety once and for all.

Epilogue

Meanwhile an injured Becky departs from a hospital, while talking on her cell phone with her mother. Upon entering the elevator she encouters the salesman. After which he quotes in his mind "Turn the right corner in sin city and you can find anything." He then offers Becky a cigarette implying that he is going to kill her. Silently stunned, she tells her mother that she loves her and hangs up. After that the screen cuts to black ending the film.

Cast

Notable Roles: (Organized by the story in which they primarily appear)

The Customer is Always Right

The Hard Goodbye

The Big Fat Kill

That Yellow Bastard

Production

Proof of concept

After his experience with Hollywood on the third RoboCop film, Miller did not want to release the film rights, fearing a similar result.[citation needed] However Rodriguez, a long-time fan of the graphic novels, was eager to adapt Sin City for the screen. His plan was to make a fully authentic adaptation, follow the source material closely, and make a "translation, not an adaptation".[4] 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). Rodriguez flew Miller into Austin to be present at this test shooting, and Miller was very happy with the results. This footage was later used as the opening scene for the completed film.

Digital backlot

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 constructed by hand. They were:

  1. Kadie's Bar, where all of the major characters make an appearance at least once and also the only location in which all objects are in color.
  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.

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 Devon Aoki's red-and-blue clothing, Alexis Bledel's blue eyes and red blood, Michael Clarke Duncan's golden eye, Rutger Hauer's grey eyes, Jaime King's red dress and blonde hair, Clive Owen's red Converse shoes and Cadillac, Mickey Rourke's red blood, Marley Shelton's green eyes, red dress, and red lips, Nick Stahl's yellow face and body, and Elijah Wood's white glasses. Much of the blood in the film also has a striking glow to it. 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 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 shooting

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.[4] Rodriguez, an aficionado of cinematic technology, has used similar techniques in the past. In critic Roger Ebert's review of the film,[5] 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. These scenes were later added in the release of the Sin City Collectors DVD, which also split the books into the 4 separate stories.

Credits

Three directors received credit for Sin City: Miller, Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, the last for directing one scene in the film. Miller and Rodriguez worked as a team directing the rest of the film. Despite having no previous directorial background, Miller was substantially 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 (and the fact that Miller's original books were used as storyboards), Rodriguez felt that they should both be credited as directors on the film.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

Reception

The film opened on April 1, 2005 to largely positive reviews, receiving a 77% "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][7] Several critics including Ebert compared the film favorably to other comic book adaptations, particularly Batman[8] and Hulk.[9] 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."[10]

There were, however, several reviews predominantly focused on the film's more graphic content, criticizing it for a lack of "humanity". William Arnold of the Seattle-Post Intelligencer described it as a celebration of "helpless people being tortured... I kept thinking of those clean-cut young American guards at Abu Ghraib. That is exactly the mentality Rodriguez is celebrating here. Sin City is their movie."[11] Meanwhile, other critics focused on especially negative elements: "a comic strip adaptation, [it] includes scenes depicting castration, murder, torture, decapitation, rape and misogyny."[12]

New York Times critic Manohla Dargis claimed that the directors' "commitment to absolute unreality and the absence of the human factor" made it "hard to get pulled into the story on any level other than the visceral". Credit is given for Rodriguez's "scrupulous care and obvious love for its genre influences" but Dargis notes "it's a shame the movie is kind of a bore" where the private experience of reading a graphic novel does not translate, stating that "the problem is, this is his private experience, not ours".[13]

In a more lighthearted piece focusing on the progression of movies and the origins of [[Sin City]], fellow Times critic A. O. Scott, identifying Who Framed Roger Rabbit as its chief cinematic predecessor, argued that "Something is missing – something human. Don't let the movies fool you: Roger Rabbit was guilty," with regards to the increasing use of digitisation within movies to replace the human elements. He applauds the fact Rodriguez "has rendered a gorgeous world of silvery shadows that updates the expressionist cinematography of postwar noir" but bemoans that several elements of "old film noirs has been digitally broomed away", resulting instead in a movie that "offers sensation without feeling, death without grief, sin without guilt and, ultimately, novelty without surprise".[14] Teenager Reviews calls it "the best movie in 2005"

Sin City grossed $29.1 million on its opening weekend, defeating fellow opener Beauty Shop by more than twice its opening take. However, the film saw a sharp decline in its second weekend, dropping over fifty percent. Ultimately, the film ended its North American run with a gross of $74.1 million against its $40 million negative cost. Overseas, the film grossed $84.6 million, for a worldwide total from theater receipts of $158.7 million.

At the Cannes Film Festival, Rodriguez won the Technical Grand Prize for the visual shaping of the film.

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. On October 21, 2008 a Blu-Ray edition, which is region free, was released by Alliance in Canada. On 29 January 2009 a US Blu-Ray release was confirmed for April 23, 2009. It will be a 2 disc edition featuring both the Theatrical and the "Recut, Unrated, Extended" versions of the film.

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 a pocket-sized version of the graphic novel "The Hard Goodbye", which is commonly priced at US $17.00 in bookstores. Shortly after, the same DVD/book package was released in a limited edition giftbox with a set of Sin City playing cards and a small stack of Sin City poker chips not available anywhere else.

The initial Region 2 release only features a 7-minute featurette on the movie. HMV stores had limited quantities of the four slipcases. Amazon.co.uk released another limited edition which housed the film, and the three books it is based on, in a hard case. In October 2007, the Recut, Extended, and Unrated edition was finally released in the UK. Although it does not feature the reproduction of "The Hard Goodbye" book, it does come in Steelbook packaging. This version of the movie was initially exclusive to HMV stores, with an RRP of £9.99, but is now available at most retailers in the UK.

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 each 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.

"Sensemayá" by Silvestre Revueltas is also used on the end sequence of "That Yellow Bastard". Fluke's track "Absurd" is also used when Hartigan first enter Kadie's.

Sequels

Sin City 2 is a proposed sequel to Sin City. Miller said in early 2007 it would be based on A Dame to Kill For.[15]

Production on the film has been delayed, mostly due to Rodriguez's involvement with a scheduled remake of Barbarella.[16]

Actress Rosario Dawson, who played Gail in Sin City, said in March 2006 that Rodriguez "has been interested in Angelina Jolie for the lead".[17] A subsequent article that month said vaguely that Jolie, Salma Hayek and Rose McGowan have "been tipped to play" the role.[18]

Miller in November 2007 said without explaining that delays in producing Sin City 2 would lead to a Sin City 3 as well,[19] with Rodriguez saying the third film would adapt Miller's "Hell and Back" story featuring the character Wallace. Recent rumours indicate that Johnny Depp will play the lead.[19]

Miller has confirmed that he and Rodriguez have completed a script.[20] On September 19, 2008, Frank Miller stated that he and Rodriguez are very close to beginning production. In a December 4, 2008 interview with IGN UK, Miller stated that, pending details of production, he and director Robert Rodriguez could begin shooting "as soon as April".[21] Dawson confirmed Miller's news of an April start as well as her reprisal of Gail.[22] Rourke has confirmed that he is starring as Marv in the sequel.[23]

On January 30, 2009, MTV News reported that the script is indeed finished and will shoot sometime in 2009.[24]

On April 7, 2009 it was reported that The Weinstein Company has lost the rights to the sequel. Weinstein Company lawyer Bert Fields quickly denied this report, saying "TWC's rights to produce sequels to Sin City remain intact as they always have been. Any suggestion to the contrary is complete hogwash."[25][26]

References

  1. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=sincity.htm
  2. ^ McDonagh, Maitland, Frank Miller's Sin City (review)
  3. ^ Cannes Film Festival awards report, IMDB.com
  4. ^ a b c IMDB.com entry for Sin City, Trivia notes
  5. ^ a b Review of Sin City by Roger Ebert, published March 31, 2005
  6. ^ ReelViews.net review by James Berardinelli
  7. ^ ReelViews List of films reviewed in 2005
  8. ^ Review of Batman (1989) by Roger Ebert, published June 23, 1989
  9. ^ Review of Hulk by Roger Ebert, published June 20, 2003
  10. ^ Film-Finder.com
  11. ^ Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "Comic-book world of 'Sin City' gleefully revels in a disturbing gorefest" April 1, 2005
  12. ^ The Sydney Morning Herald, "Teen's nose bitten off in row over Sin City" (July 18, 2005). Access date: February 13, 2007.
  13. ^ New York Times Review
  14. ^ The New York Times, "The Unreal Road From Toontown to 'Sin City'", April 24, 2005
  15. ^ Spelling, Ian (2007-02-23). "Miller: Sin 2 Is Ready To Go". http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=40259. Retrieved on 2007-02-24. 
  16. ^ Weinberg, Scott (2007-05-22). "Robert Rodriguez to Direct the Barbarella Remake". http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sin_city_2/news/1648840/. Retrieved on 2007-08-20. 
  17. ^ Shapiro, Marc, "Jolie Eyed For Sin 2" SciFi Wire March 13, 2006
  18. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer. "'Sin City' Characters — Even Dead Ones — Returning For Sequel", MTV.com, March 29, 2006
  19. ^ a b "Frank Miller Confirms Sin City 3". 2007-06-07. http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=4248. Retrieved on 2007-11-21. 
  20. ^ Weinberg, Scott (2007-07-30). "Frank Miller Faults Weinsteins for Sin City 2 Delay". http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/comic_con_2007/news/1657014/. Retrieved on 2007-08-20. 
  21. ^ Tilly, Chris (2008-12-04). "Sin City 2 Exclusive". IGN. http://movies.ign.com/articles/935/935585p1.html. Retrieved on 6 December 2008. 
  22. ^ "Rosario Dawson Confirms SIN CITY 2 Start Plus OCT News". IESB.net. 2008-12-05. http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5886&Itemid=99. Retrieved on 6 December 2008. 
  23. ^ Mackay, Mairi (2009-01-15). "How Rourke fought back from the edge". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/14/mickeyrourke.screeningroom/index.html. Retrieved on 2009-01-26. 
  24. ^ [1]
  25. ^ http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6657&Itemid=99
  26. ^ http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/04/sin-city-2-and.html

External links

Preceded by
Guess Who
Box office number-one films of 2005 (USA)
April 3, 2005
Succeeded by
Sahara

 
Shopping: Sin City
Top
 
 

 

Copyrights:

Movies. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Movie Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sin City (film)" Read more

 

Mentioned in