Sin City is a 2005 neo-noir anthology film written, produced and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. 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 the hands of a psychotic child molester. The film stars Jessica Alba, Devon Aoki, Alexis Bledel, Michael Clarke Duncan, Rosario Dawson, Benicio del Toro, Josh Hartnett, Jaime King, Brittany Murphy, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Nick Stahl, Bruce Willis and Elijah Wood, among others.
The film 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 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."
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." Online critical reaction was particularly strong: James Berardinelli placed the film on his list of the ten best films of 2005. Several critics, such as Ebert, compared the film favorably to other comic book adaptations, particularly Batman and Hulk. 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."
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." 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." 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."
Sin City grossed $29.1 million on opening weekend, defeating fellow opener Beauty Shop by more than twice in its opening take. However, the film saw sharp declines in later weeks (dropping over fifty percent in its second weekend). 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 of $158.7 million.Wikipedia
