Sin City (2005)

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

Directors:

Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez

Writer:

Frank Miller (graphic novels)

Stars:

Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Bruce Willis

34 wins & 51 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jessica Alba	...	Nancy
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

Storyline

Four tales of crime adapted from Frank Miller's popular comics, focusing around a muscular brute who's looking for the person responsible for the death of his beloved Goldie, a man fed up with Sin City's corrupt law enforcement who takes the law into his own hands after a horrible mistake, a cop who risks his life to protect a girl from a deformed pedophile, and a hitman looking to make a little cash.

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Plot Keywords:

neo noir | sexual predator | dark horse comics | corruption | female nudity | 

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Taglines:

Hell of a way to end a partnership.

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 April 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Frank Miller's Sin City

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dimension Films, Troublemaker Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min 147 min (unrated, recut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The song that was featured in Carla Gugino's earlier film, Snake Eyes (1998) was "Sin City" by Meredith Brooks and the song foreshadowed Carla Gugino starring in this film.

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Goofs

When Hartigan is being beaten before going to jail, there is a close-up of his face. There is a five-inch long, one-inch wide rip in his right cheek. Even though he has scars already on his forehead, this damage just disappears afterward.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

Shot and Cut by Robert Rodriguez.

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Alternate Versions

December 2005 DVD reissue included an extended, reedited version of the film. The four story lines were separated into individual short films, with about seven minutes of additional footage added, marketed as approximately 25, but about thirteen of those minutes are credits added to each story and five come from marketing exaggeration.

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood's Top Ten: Sizzlin' Dance Scenes (2010)

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Soundtracks

Absurd
Written by Fluke
Performed by Fluke
Courtesy of Virgin Records
Under License from EMI Film & TV Music

User Reviews

Bold, Brilliant and Totally Badass

With Hellboy, Guillermo Del Toro lovingly recreated panels from artist/creator Mike Mignola's comic book stories and brought them to vibrant life, setting a new benchmark for adaptations that respect their source material. With Sin City, however, co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller have done more than just recreate the brutal chiaroscuro of Miller's stark post-modern noir artwork, they've captured the essence and the aesthetic of Basin City (as much a character as Marv or Hartigan) and brought its universe and characters to a stunning three-dimensional life. And unlike Hellboy, which suffered from a weak, confusing script, Sin City weaves a Pulp Fiction-esque narrative which snakes through the dark streets and crooked alleyways of this hellish metropolis like a fever dream.

In short, Sin City delivers a blistering ballet of bullets and blood, dames and danger at every turn. It's a kinetic masterpiece of pop culture for the new millennium (and a case could be made that this was the movie that CGI was invented for).

As a Frank Miller fan for over 25 years, I know his work and I know Sin City – and this Sin City will knock your socks off whether you are a fan or a newcomer to the dark delights of his devilish imagination and brutal style. Exceeding my expectations on all levels, this movie ranks as one of the most enjoyable cinema-going experiences I've had in years.

Everything works here. From Rodriguez's cinematography and editing, to the seamless direction (no mean feat when you consider Robert co-directed with Miller and Quentin Tarantino joined the mix as "Special Guest Director"), to the spot-on casting. The script gives Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen and Benicio Del Toro plenty of opportunity to chew the scenery – and they do, especially Rourke, who, despite having his mug buried under a thick layer of gruesome latex, delivers one of the best performances of his career and steals the show as Marv, the giant thug with a broken heart. The ladies hold their own, too. Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Brittany Murphy and Jaime King are all great in their roles, particularly Dawson as machine gun-wielding Dominatrix/Hooker-Godmother Gail. And kudos to Elijah Wood (proving there is life after Hobbits) and Nick Stahl who deliver contrasting performances as vile villains, the ultra-creepy Kevin and the disgusting Yellow bastard, respectively.

Sin City is smart, stylish, sexy and sick. It's also violent and funny. Certainly not a film for the whole family, but for those of us who enjoy our movies rated R, this flick kicks the head and the gut like a mule.

Here's hoping Sin City makes a mint, for there are 10,000 stories in the naked (sinful) city, and this is but a handful of them. I'm already praying for a sequel.

A picture perfect "ten" for this cineast.