Sin City at 20: The Tale Behind the Chic, Blood-Drenched Neo-Noir Comic Book Adaptation

      Hasitha Fernando examines the history of Sin City as it marks its 20th anniversary…

      In contemporary Hollywood, filming in digital backlots has become quite standard. However, two decades ago, it was seen as a pioneering advancement in VFX-driven visual storytelling. In this context, we delve into a film that led the way in this innovative filmmaking approach, presenting a visually stunning, intensely violent, neo-noir crime drama for the ages. This is the behind-the-scenes narrative of Sin City…

      Sin City was adapted from one of Frank Miller’s highly acclaimed comics.

      Sin City was a collection of neo-noir comics crafted by writer and artist Frank Miller. Miller is well-known for his critically praised comic book narratives and graphic novels, including The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, Daredevil: Born Again, and 300 over recent decades. The inaugural Sin City story appeared in the Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary special released in April 1991 and continued as a serialized run over thirteen parts from May 1991 to June 1992.

      Miller drew inspiration from classic film noir, featuring morally ambiguous protagonists and villainous characters, with stars like Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney. The movie adaptation was based on the graphic novels “The Hard Goodbye,” “The Big Fat Kill,” and “That Yellow Bastard.” The opening scene, which included Josh Hartnett and Marley Shelton, was derived from the short story “The Customer is Always Right,” while the epilogue was an original scene created specifically for the film.

      The Weinsteins were instrumental in bringing the film to fruition.

      While Sin City was a well-known comic, it was also quite unconventional with its neo-noir style, dark humor, grim narrative, and graphic violence. Consequently, it was evident from the start that no major studio was willing to take on the project due to its inherent risks, which is where Robert Rodriguez’s connection with Miramax Films proved pivotal.

      Over the years, Rodriguez developed a strong working connection with Miramax through successful projects like From Dusk Till Dawn, The Faculty, and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. This enabled him to reach out to the Weinstein brothers at Miramax to transform the production of this film into a reality. A significant portion of the movie's effects and scoring was even completed in Rodriguez's own studio located near his home.

      The opening scene was filmed before Frank Miller approved it.

      Robert Rodriguez filmed the movie's opening scene before receiving Frank Miller's approval. He chose Josh Hartnett and Marley Shelton to portray the characters on a rooftop. The primary aim of shooting this segment ahead of time was to demonstrate to Miller that a comic book could be effectively adapted into live-action while maintaining its unique style and tone. Rodriguez's efforts proved fruitful, and Frank Miller came on board as a co-director.

      Panels from the original comics served as storyboards.

      Along with films like Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Casshern, and Immortal, Sin City was among the earliest movies to be filmed entirely in a digital backlot. This meant that all live-action performances were shot in front of a greenscreen, with backgrounds added later during postproduction. Both Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller aimed to replicate the exact appearance and essence of the Sin City comics, thus using comic book panels from the source material as storyboards during filming. Consequently, Rodriguez viewed the live-action adaptation more as a translation than an adaptation, which is why screenwriting credits were omitted.

      Bruce Willis chose to wear prosthetics to better embody his comic book character.

      Bruce Willis is a Hollywood action legend. His participation in a comic book film shot on a digital backlot was certainly notable at the time. However, Willis was fully committed to portraying the tough police detective John Hartigan. He even wore prosthetics to better resemble his comic book counterpart and adapted his handedness to be right-handed, unlike his natural left-handedness, as Hartigan was depicted as right-handed in the comics. Other cast members, including Benicio Del Toro, Mickey Rourke, and Nick Stahl, also wore additional makeup.

      Benicio del Toro was cast as Jackie Boy because of his 'Wolfman' hairstyle.

      Initially, director Robert Rodriguez envisioned Johnny Depp, whom he collaborated with on Once Upon a Time in Mexico, for the role of Jackie Boy in Sin City. However, Depp's scheduling conflicts prevented him from participating, complicating the casting process. Interestingly, Rodriguez spotted veteran character actor Benicio del Toro at the Academy Awards with his “wolfman” hair and immediately decided he was the right fit for the role. The director then requested Del Toro to keep his hair uncut and provided him with a copy of the short story “The Customer Is Always Right,” leading to Del Toro's immediate acceptance of the role. Before Del Toro, Academy Award winner Adrien Brody briefly expressed interest in playing Jackie Boy.

      Michael Madsen directly approached Robert Rodriguez for a part in the film.

      Michael Madsen