The Hardest Goodbye Film Noir

Film noir, or neo-noir is cinematic term used to describe the heavily stylised Hollywoods crime films set in the 50s and 60s alongside The Great Depression. These generally black and white texts emphasise cynical attitudes, sexual motivations and dark themes, using the monochrome element to reflect the mood of the film. Whilst not defined by the conventions of setting and conflict, distinct characteristics of the sub-genre include recurring dark themes and dark tone. Showcasing the classic elements of the neo-noir, Sin City is a highly intense crime thriller anthology, detailing the ugly urban dystopia of Basin City; where corruption and immorality paves the streets for an underground devilish world. Following the classical hardboiled neo-noir

Good friend Dwight states, "most people think Marv is crazy. He just had the rotten luck of being born in the wrong century. He'd be right at home on some ancient battlefield swinging an axe into somebody's face. Or in a Roman arena, taking his sword to other gladiators like him.” (Miller, 2005). Entertaining the concept of a corrupt society being an influencing factor on the nature of a person. With a hulking figure, Marv appears tough and threatening both due to his violent nature and medical condition; the cause of his constant paranoia and psychotic hallucinations. After a night out, Marv wakes up next to a blonde, beautiful and dead prostitute known as Goldie; whose sexuality is fore fronted again, due to the use of colour. Framed for the crime, Marv’s determination to clear his name and avenge the death of the woman, is shown through his use of the power of interrogation and fear to extract the truth from several informants, including a priest. His quest for justice, defines him as the stories hero, although not immediately apparent. Like Jake Gittes in the 1974 text, Chinatown, Marv feels personally affected by the corruption present in Basin City, thanks to the Roark family, recognised as cannibalistic power forces, He is determined to find his own justice, no matter the cost. Furthermore, his resilient demeanour, alcoholism and smoking habits reflect lightly on the generic features of the sleuth in a classic crime fiction text. In his own mind, he plays the saviour, and is determined to achieve validity of his innocence, although criminally implicating himself in the process. This idea challenges the classic view of the term ‘worthy victim’, making the viewer question their own morals and the extent they would go to to selfishly exonerate themselves in a imminent