Sin City Poster Analysis 1

Below is a poster for the film Sin City. I have analysed the poster and pointed out all of the thriller signifiers present in it.


The poster very strongly uses a strong contrast between light and dark. This could give several different connotations to the poster. Such as the feel that the film is about good (light) and evil (dark); good vs evil is a common thriller signifier and can be shown in the poster in the use of chiaroscuro lighting. The use of all the black/dark in the poster gives the poster a rather mysterious and sinister feel and could help get the audience intrigued.
Due to the poster being dark, the title stands out as it is red. This could have been done for several reasons; red can symbolise danger, death and blood - these are common aspects of thrillers. Also, it may just have be done to make the title stick out and stick in the audiences mind; it draws attention to the title & poster.
Another thriller signifier in the poster is the use of diagonal rain. This signifier is a very important film-noir signifier. The light reflects off the rain and helps show more of a contrast between light and dark (good and evil).
From the poster you can tell that the film has a male protagonist; a male (Bruce Willis) is standing at the front of a group of people, indication he is the 'leader' and the main character. Also, the shot is a tilted-up shot which makes him appear tall/large, dominant and powerful. Unlike the other characters shown in the poster, he has his eyes shut or looking down to the floor so that his eyes are hidden which makes him look unemotional and cold.
Weapons are also present in the poster which indicate violence and action, which is common in many thrillers (eg. Layer Cake, Leon, Millers Crossing). It is only the men that have guns in the poster, which sugests they are the protagonists and are the more controlling and dominant characters in the film (which is true for most thrillers). This also helps attract their target audience; the presence of guns in the poster may indicate action to the audience, which some people might like, therefore will see the film.
Overall, I think the poster is successful in portraying the film and what it contains; it shows that the film is a thriller and that it contains action, violence and maybe crime.