Analyse how the opening of Sin City uses film noir conventions and how it sets up audience expectations

Analyse how the opening of Sin City uses film noir conventions and how it sets up audience expectations

The opening of the film Sin City uses many conventions of film noir like the themes of crime, isolation and deception, the setting and the lighting, costumes and props and the voice over, dialogue and script.
The way that the opening scene in Sin City uses the themes of crime, isolation and deception is the way that the lighting creates contrast to create the hidden characteristics which brings out the deception in the characters. The opening scene is dominated by black apart from the bright party in the background which separates the two characters in this opening scene, as it is set at night and in a large dominating urban city it also brings out the insignificance of the two people.
The ways that costumes and props are used in this opening scene are very similar to the way that film noir was used in the 1940’s in the way they use props which create narrative. Iconic props are used like the cigarettes and the gun, and the outfits that both of the characters are wearing are very stylish like in the olden films, as the male is wearing a very dark suit with heavily styled slicked back hair and the female is wearing a bright red dress which we can see which may emphasise the seduction and danger of her which makes her suggest to the audience that she is a femme fatal.
One of the shots in the opening scene of this film is with the two characters together in the background of a big city with the sounds of crime and danger. This makes the city seem more large and dominating and with the light rain which as the scene carries on turns heavier makes the scene become more eerie and unsettling.
The narrator’s voice in this starting scene is very low which may create a sense of more eeriness and makes it more unsettling. In some cases the narrator seems to whisper some of the words that he says which makes the audience think that the two characters are up to no good. The dialogue that is used is makes this opening scene include added intensity to it. Both of the characters try and do create more passion to the conversation in the way that the words are said with more enthusiasm but in small conversation between the characters. The writer of the Sin City uses the script to add a layer of more depth and emotion. This also adds complexity to the two characters as we know nothing about who they are, what they do and more importantly what is going to happen. Furthermore in the opening scene the ratio of the male and the female is very biased. This is based on the face that the female has only a few lines as the male does the majority of the talking. This emphasises to the audience that the female may look vulnerable and weak compared to the male character.

Declan Cunningham