Sin City
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 (Jaime King), 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.
Despite a respectable budget of $40.0M, Sin City became a commercial success, earning $158.7M worldwide—a 297% return.
38 wins & 54 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Sin City (2005) reveals carefully calibrated story structure, characteristic of Robert Rodriguez's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 4 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.7, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Hartigan
Marv
Dwight McCarthy
Nancy Callahan
Goldie
Gail
Kevin
Yellow Bastard
Senator Roark
Cardinal Roark
Main Cast & Characters
Hartigan
Played by Bruce Willis
Aging cop on his last day, determined to save an innocent girl from a sadistic predator.
Marv
Played by Mickey Rourke
Brutal vigilante seeking vengeance for the murder of a woman who showed him kindness.
Dwight McCarthy
Played by Clive Owen
Ex-photographer turned vigilante who protects the women of Old Town.
Nancy Callahan
Played by Jessica Alba
Exotic dancer devoted to Hartigan, the cop who saved her as a child.
Goldie
Played by Jaime King
Mysterious prostitute whose murder sets Marv on a path of vengeance.
Gail
Played by Rosario Dawson
Leader of the Old Town prostitutes, fiercely protective of her territory.
Kevin
Played by Elijah Wood
Silent, cannibalistic serial killer with deadly martial arts skills.
Yellow Bastard
Played by Nick Stahl
Deformed pedophile seeking revenge on Hartigan and Nancy.
Senator Roark
Played by Powers Boothe
Corrupt politician protecting his monstrous son at any cost.
Cardinal Roark
Played by Rutger Hauer
Religious figure involved in ritual murders and cannibalism.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes The Salesman assassinates a beautiful woman on a rooftop after a romantic embrace, establishing Sin City as a world where beauty masks violence and death comes with a whisper.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when Marv discovers he's being hunted by both the police and unknown assassins. The woman who showed him kindness is dead, and he's been framed - his old life of merely surviving is impossible now.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 31 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Marv makes the irreversible choice to pursue Kevin to the Roark farm, knowing it means taking on the most powerful family in Sin City. He crosses from reactive survival into active vengeance against impossible odds., moving from reaction to action.
At 61 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat Marv captures and kills Kevin, achieving apparent victory. Simultaneously, Dwight kills Jackie Boy - a false victory as they discover he was a hero cop, threatening the truce that protects Old Town's women., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 92 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Marv is executed in the electric chair - taking multiple shocks before dying. Hartigan realizes he led Yellow Bastard directly to Nancy by visiting her. The heroes' victories have cost everything, and their loved ones remain in danger., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 99 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Hartigan rises despite his wounds, synthesizing his eight years of sacrifice with his cop instincts. He realizes the only way to truly save Nancy is to eliminate both Yellow Bastard and himself - removing all leverage the Roarks have., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Sin City's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Sin City against these established plot points, we can identify how Robert Rodriguez utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Sin City within the crime genre.
Robert Rodriguez's Structural Approach
Among the 14 Robert Rodriguez films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.3, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Sin City takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Robert Rodriguez filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional crime films include The Bad Guys, Rustom and The Whole Ten Yards. For more Robert Rodriguez analyses, see Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and From Dusk Till Dawn.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
The Salesman assassinates a beautiful woman on a rooftop after a romantic embrace, establishing Sin City as a world where beauty masks violence and death comes with a whisper.
Theme
Marv awakens next to the murdered Goldie and declares "I'll find out who did this and I'll kill them" - establishing that in this world, personal justice through violence is the only meaningful code.
Worldbuilding
The noir underworld of Basin City is established: corrupt cops frame Marv for Goldie's murder, the parole officer Lucille provides exposition about Marv's violent past, and we see the city's stark visual morality of black and white.
Disruption
Marv discovers he's being hunted by both the police and unknown assassins. The woman who showed him kindness is dead, and he's been framed - his old life of merely surviving is impossible now.
Resistance
Marv debates his mission: Lucille warns him he's outmatched, but he traces clues through Old Town. He meets Wendy (Goldie's twin), who initially wants him dead. His priest becomes an unlikely guide, hearing confession before Marv extracts information about the Roark family.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Marv makes the irreversible choice to pursue Kevin to the Roark farm, knowing it means taking on the most powerful family in Sin City. He crosses from reactive survival into active vengeance against impossible odds.
Mirror World
Wendy transforms from enemy to ally, recognizing Marv's genuine devotion to avenging her sister. Their partnership represents the thematic truth: redemption comes through protecting others, not through self-interest.
Premise
The "fun and games" of Sin City's brutal noir unfold: Marv's savage confrontation with Kevin, the revelation of Cardinal Roark's cannibalistic conspiracy, and the introduction of Dwight's storyline with the dangerous Jackie Boy threatening the women of Old Town.
Midpoint
Marv captures and kills Kevin, achieving apparent victory. Simultaneously, Dwight kills Jackie Boy - a false victory as they discover he was a hero cop, threatening the truce that protects Old Town's women.
Opposition
The consequences multiply: Marv confronts Cardinal Roark but is captured. Dwight must dispose of Jackie Boy's body while the mob closes in on Old Town. Hartigan's story begins - released from prison, he discovers Nancy survived but Yellow Bastard is hunting her.
Collapse
Marv is executed in the electric chair - taking multiple shocks before dying. Hartigan realizes he led Yellow Bastard directly to Nancy by visiting her. The heroes' victories have cost everything, and their loved ones remain in danger.
Crisis
Nancy is captured and tortured by Yellow Bastard while Hartigan is beaten and left for dead. The darkness seems total - the corrupt Senator Roark appears untouchable, and every protagonist has either died or faces death.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Hartigan rises despite his wounds, synthesizing his eight years of sacrifice with his cop instincts. He realizes the only way to truly save Nancy is to eliminate both Yellow Bastard and himself - removing all leverage the Roarks have.
Synthesis
Hartigan tracks Yellow Bastard to the farm, rescues Nancy in a brutal confrontation, and beats the monster to death with his bare hands. He then makes the ultimate sacrifice, taking his own life so the Roarks can never use him to find Nancy again.
Transformation
Nancy weeps over Hartigan's body in the snow, then the film returns to the rooftop where it began - The Customer claims another victim. Sin City remains unchanged, but within it, broken men found redemption through sacrifice.