Sin City

Directed by
Frank Miller
Robert Rodriguez
Quentin Tarantino (special guest director)

Writing credits
Frank Miller (graphic novels)

Release Date:
1 April 2005 (USA)

Genre:
Action | Crime | Thriller

Cast :
The Customer is Always Right

* Josh Hartnett as The Salesman/The Colonel (known in the screenplay as "The Man")
* Marley Shelton as The Customer

The Hard Goodbye

* Mickey Rourke as Marv
* Jaime King as Goldie/Wendy
* Carla Gugino as Lucille
* Elijah Wood as Kevin
* Rutger Hauer as Cardinal Patrick Henry Roark
* Jason Douglas as Hitman
* Frank Miller as Priest

The Big Fat Kill

* Clive Owen as Dwight McCarthy
* Benicio del Toro as Det. Lt. Jack "Jackie Boy" Rafferty
* Rosario Dawson as Gail
* Michael Clarke Duncan as Manute
* Alexis Bledel as Becky
* Devon Aoki as Miho
* Brittany Murphy as Shellie
* Patricia Vonne as Dallas
* Nicky Katt as Stuka (Cameo)

That Yellow Bastard

* Bruce Willis as Det. John Hartigan
* Jessica Alba as Nancy Callahan
* Nick Stahl as Roark Junior / Yellow Bastard
* Powers Boothe as Senator Roark
* Michael Madsen as Bob
* Makenzie Vega as Young Nancy Callahan
* Jude Ciccolella as Liebowitz
* Rick Gomez as Klump
* Nick Offerman as Shlubb
* Mickey Rourke as Marv (Cameo)
* Elijah Wood as Kevin (Cameo)
* Carla Gugino as Lucille (Special Edition only)

Original Sound Track :
1. Sin City 1:55
2. One Hour To Go 2:12
3. Goldie's Dead 2:15
4. Marv 2:10
5. Bury The Hatchet 2:40
6. Old Town Girls 0:44
7. The Hard Goodbye 4:32
8. Cardinal Sin 2:14
9. Her Name Is Goldie 1:00
10. Dwight 2:11
11. Old Town 3:16
12. Deadly Little Miho 2:58
13. Warrior Woman 2:19
14. Tar Pit 2:11
15. Jackie Boy's Head 0:36
16. The Big Fat Kill 3:16
17. Nancy 1:34
18. Prison Cell 1:48
19. "Absurd" - Fluke 3:40
20. Kiss Of Death 1:58
21. That Yellow Bastard 1:36
22. Hartigan 1:43
23. "Sensemaya" - Silvestre Revueltas 5:59
24. Sin City End Titles 3:16
( source : http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=3724 )

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)
Roark Junior (Nick Stahl) torturing Nancy (Jessica Alba) in "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, and justifies himself with the words "An old man dies, a young woman lives; fair trade."
Epilogue

Meanwhile an injured Becky who had survived the crossfire departs from a hospital, while talking on her cell phone with her mother. Upon entering the elevator she encounters the salesman from the prologue. After which he thinks to himself "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 as the screen cuts to black, ending the film.

Pictures :