Sin City (2005)

Directors:

Frank Miller
Robert Rodriguez

Writer:

Frank Miller (graphic novels)

Release Date:

1 April 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Hell of a way to end a partnership.

Plot:

A film that explores the dark and miserable town Basin City and tells the story of three different people, all caught up in the violent corruption of the city.

Plot Keywords:

Corruption | Death | Vengeance | Violence | Stripper

Awards:

16 wins & 29 nominations

Cast

Jessica Alba	...	Nancy Callahan
Devon Aoki	...	Miho
Alexis Bledel	...	Becky
Powers Boothe	...	Senator Roark
Cara D. Briggs	...	Hearing Panel Person (as Cara Briggs)
Jude Ciccolella	...	Liebowitz
Jeffrey J. Dashnaw	...	Motorcycle Cop (as Jeff Dashnaw)
Rosario Dawson	...	Gail
Jesse De Luna	...	Corporal Rivera
Benicio Del Toro	...	Jackie Boy
Jason Douglas	...	Hitman
Michael Clarke Duncan	...	Manute
Tommy Flanagan	...	Brian
Christina Frankenfield	...	Judge
Rick Gomez	...	Klump

Also Known As:

Frank Miller's Sin City (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sustained strong stylized violence, nudity and sexual content including dialogue.

Runtime:

124 min | USA:147 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:R (Alberta/Manitoba) | Taiwan:R-12 | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) | Venezuela:PG-13 | USA:Unrated (unrated extended edition) | Australia:MA | South Africa:16 | Hungary:18 | New Zealand:R16 (TV rating) | USA:R (certificate #41611) | Iceland:16 | Italy:T | Portugal:M/16 (Qualidade) | Argentina:13 (DVD rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Czech Republic:15 | Denmark:15 | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Israel:18 | Japan:R-15 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Netherlands:16 | Philippines:R-13 (cut) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | Finland:K-15 (re-rating) | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | Mexico:C | Poland:18 | Brazil:16 | Singapore:R21 (director's cut) | Finland:K-18 (original rating) | Argentina:18 | Chile:18 | New Zealand:R18 | Peru:18 (original rating) | Peru:14 (re-rating) | France:-16 | France:-12 (cut) | Colombia:18 | Austria:16 | Switzerland:18 (canton of Basel-Stadt)

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

The film, and many of its effects and scoring, were all done in Robert Rodriguez's studio, which is immediately across the street from his home. Because the director refuses to work anywhere else and shuns other Hollywood traditions, it took his friendship with Miramax honchos Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein to make the production of the film possible, as no other studios would take a chance on either Rodriguez's methods or such a bizarre film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Marv steals the Police Car and ditches it in the water, he gets out of the car while underwater and swims away and comes up through a drainpipe. Once he emerges from the drainpipe, his hair and clothing are dry.

Quotes:

[first lines]
The Salesman: [voiceover] She shivers in the wind like the last leaf on a dying tree. I let her hear my footsteps. She only goes stiff for a moment.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in St. Trinian's (2007)

Soundtrack:

Cells (Instrumental)

Miller's art realized in fast paced nice film noir tribute.

I'll put my bottom line at the top so you can decide whether to read on. I can't recommend this film to the average cinema-goer. Instead, I will recommend it to those who are fans of Frank Miller, film noir, Robert Rodrigues, and to a lesser extent Quentin Tarantino. This is also not a film for feminists. Others should read on and decide if this is something they want to see.

The fact that Frank Miller was listed with Robert Rodriquez as co-director of this film, and the cleverly ambiguous film noir trailer hooked me. So, the spouse and I went to see it shortly after release, expecting exactly what we got - a very cleverly and interestingly shot film noir version of several Frank Miller stories taking place in Basin City, the locus of Miller's graphic novels of the same name as the film.

Quentin Tarantino guest directs one of the segments. I'm not sure which - Rodrigues' style is as often violent, but a bit more comic. Based on some of the ridiculous violence of the film, I think it likely that QT had some influence on the other segments as well. My only objection to this film is really the quantity of absurd and frankly grotesque violence scenes. Though the violence is true to Miller's work, seeing it as a process creates a very different effect than Miller's art. Fortunately, Rodrigues' sense of humor also prevails in most of the most violent scenes. The use of colorization emphasizes the film's bloodiness through the only colors used in the film - red, ultra-white and yellow - comic exaggeration and a wonderfully eerie noir feel.

Predictably, this is a very dark film, and quite a bit more disturbing than the average commercial stuff.

What the spouse and I didn't expect was pleasantly surprising - one of the most artistically well done interpretations of the comic medium I have yet seen (and I have seen them all) and stand-out performances by Del Toro, Mickey Rourke and Willis. I expect nothing less from Del Toro, but I have to admit Rourke just blew me away as Miller's phenomenally ugly and invincible tough guy - Marv - who decides, for once, to do something good with his life. Rourke's character is played with such empathy that you won't want his segments to end - you will want him to become the final hero of the film. I was less enchanted with Clive Owen's portrayal of Dwight. Though this segment was good entertainment, I thought Owen could have given a more emotive performance. Elijah Wood was exceptionally creepy and well cast in his very brief role.

All of the heroic male characters (and this film is VERY much filmed from a stereotype film noir male point of view) have one common characteristic - they are all very tough critters fighting against all odds against endemic corruption, murder and injustice, but not at all afraid to indulge in it to further their own ends. The vignettes are loosely but satisfactorily connected. But the plots are less important than the way the film FEELS. The film mixes hopelessness with fearlessness and fatalism to the extent that you'll feel like an honorable death ending a brief life is far more appealing than a lengthy life devoid of self-respect. It's a really well done homage to Comic Book as an art form, and the film noir motif. Whoever thought of putting Rodriguez and Miller together on this one deserves a nod from fans of both genres.