The Spirit (2008)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Frank Miller

Writers (WGA):

Frank Miller (screenplay)
Will Eisner (comic book series)

Release Date:

25 December 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Fantasy | Thriller

Tagline:

Down these mean streets a man must come. A hero born, murdered, and born again.

Plot:

Rookie cop Denny Colt returns from the beyond as The Spirit, a hero whose mission is to fight against the bad forces in Central City.

Plot Keywords:

Hero | Pond | Detective | Vase | Vigilante

Cast

Jaime King	...	Lorelei Rox
Gabriel Macht	...	The Spirit / Denny Colt
Dan Gerrity	...	Det. Sussman
Arthur the Cat	...	Himself
Kimberly Cox	...	Damsel in Distress
Brian Lucero	...	Thug #1
David Brian Martin	...	Thug #2 (as David B. Martin)
Larry Reinhardt-Meyer	...	Officer MacReady
Frank Miller	...	Liebowitz
Eva Mendes	...	Sand Saref
Eric Balfour	...	Mahmoud
Samuel L. Jackson	...	The Octopus
Louis Lombardi	...	Pathos / Ethos / Logos
Scarlett Johansson	...	Silken Floss
Sarah Paulson	...	Ellen Dolan

Also Known As:

Will Eisner's The Spirit (USA) (poster title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of stylized violence and action, some sexual content and brief nudity.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44585) | Norway:11 | UK:12A (cut) | Ireland:12A | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-13 | Australia:M | Sweden:15 | Germany:16 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | South Africa:13V | New Zealand:M | Hong Kong:IIB | Taiwan:PG-12 | Argentina:13 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | UK:15 (uncut) | Brazil:14 | Mexico:B | Iceland:12 | Iceland:16 (DVD rating) | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque Studios - 5650 University Boulevard SE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Lionsgate

Trivia:

While a character in her own right from the comics, Sand Saref's seduction of and marriage to wealthy men only to have them killed is a trait taken from fellow Spirit femme fatale P'Gell.

Goofs:

Continuity: Sand had a mole in her cheek, but the picture of her in the locket has no mole.

Quotes:

Liebowitz: [Spirit hangs from his cape] You will believe a man can't fly.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "South Park: The Coon (#13.2)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Deutschland Uber Alles

I can;'t imagine what Frank Miller was thinking

I honestly thought he would treat this much-loved and admired classic with some respect. Guess I'm naive. It certainly looks gorgeous, but that's almost regrettable in a film that's otherwise so utterly, grindingly, gone-to-hell stupid. Awful performances (except by Gabriel Macht as Our Hero, who looks great with his wide earnest eyes and buff physique, and handles the lines about his love for the city with fine, tough conviction), jaw-droppingly overdone dialogue, what seems like hours of totally unnecessary comic material ...man, it's just dreadful, and a great disappointment to me. If I ever buy the DVD I'll only watch it with the sound turned off.

Poor Will Eisner must be spinning in his grave tonight.