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 moderate budget of $40.0M, Sin City became a box office 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 precise plot construction, characteristic of Robert Rodriguez's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 13-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.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes The Customer (Josh Hartnett) embraces a woman on a balcony before shooting her - establishing Sin City's noir world where violence and death intermingle with intimacy, setting the film's moral ambiguity.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when Marv wakes to find Goldie dead beside him, framed for her murder. Police sirens approach. The one woman who showed him kindness is gone, and he's being set up - forcing him into action.. 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.
At 62 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat Dwight's story begins with Jackie Boy's death in Old Town - a false defeat moment. The accidental killing of a cop threatens the truce between Old Town and the mob, raising stakes for everyone involved., 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 despite completing his mission. Hartigan realizes Nancy is in danger and that his sacrifice accomplished nothing - the Yellow Bastard has found her. Literal and metaphorical death converge., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 100 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Hartigan kills the Yellow Bastard in brutal fashion, ensures Nancy's safety, then shoots himself. The finale synthesizes all three stories' theme: redemption through sacrifice, protecting the innocent in a corrupt world., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Sin City's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 13 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. 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 12 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, Batman Forever and 12 Rounds. For more Robert Rodriguez analyses, see From Dusk Till Dawn, Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
The Customer (Josh Hartnett) embraces a woman on a balcony before shooting her - establishing Sin City's noir world where violence and death intermingle with intimacy, setting the film's moral ambiguity.
Theme
Marv reflects on Goldie: "She doesn't know I exist... Worth dying for. Worth killing for. Worth going to hell for." This establishes the theme of redemption through violence and sacrifice for those who show you humanity.
Worldbuilding
Marv's story begins - establishes the brutal world of Basin City, introduces Marv as an outcast, his night with Goldie, and the corrupt power structures (police, church, politicians) that rule the city.
Disruption
Marv wakes to find Goldie dead beside him, framed for her murder. Police sirens approach. The one woman who showed him kindness is gone, and he's being set up - forcing him into action.
Resistance
Marv escapes police, debates his course of action, gets help from Lucille. He gathers information, arms himself, and prepares for his mission of vengeance against those who killed Goldie.
Act II
ConfrontationMirror World
Goldie's twin sister Wendy appears, providing thematic mirror - she represents what Goldie meant, why the quest matters. She validates Marv's mission and shows him he's capable of protecting the innocent.
Premise
Marv hunts through Sin City's underworld - tortures the priest, confronts Kevin the cannibal, discovers Cardinal Roark's involvement. The promise of noir revenge delivered with stylized violence. Transitions to Dwight's story (The Big Fat Kill).
Midpoint
Dwight's story begins with Jackie Boy's death in Old Town - a false defeat moment. The accidental killing of a cop threatens the truce between Old Town and the mob, raising stakes for everyone involved.
Opposition
Dwight navigates the tar pits with Jackie Boy's body, faces betrayal, and Old Town prepares for mob war. Marv faces the Yellow Bastard. Hartigan's story begins - 8 years of imprisonment, pressure mounting from all sides.
Collapse
Marv is executed in the electric chair despite completing his mission. Hartigan realizes Nancy is in danger and that his sacrifice accomplished nothing - the Yellow Bastard has found her. Literal and metaphorical death converge.
Crisis
Hartigan tracks Nancy, confronts his failure to protect her, faces the Yellow Bastard's torture. The dark night where he must process that his protection wasn't enough and what he must sacrifice to save her.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Hartigan kills the Yellow Bastard in brutal fashion, ensures Nancy's safety, then shoots himself. The finale synthesizes all three stories' theme: redemption through sacrifice, protecting the innocent in a corrupt world.
Transformation
Hartigan dies alone, thinking "An old man dies, a young woman lives. Fair trade." The closing mirrors the opening - death intertwined with salvation. The city remains corrupt, but individual acts of sacrifice create meaning.