Sin City star Elijah Wood explains how the Marv and Kevin fight scene gave him a career-first experience. The neo-noir thriller, co-directed by Frank Miller and based on his comic book series, premiered in 2005. The movie explores several characters and stories, all occurring in the corrupt Basin City. One of the storylines, “The Hard Goodbye,” surrounds Marv (portrayed by Mickey Rourke), who seeks vengeance for the sudden death of a woman, Goldie. His pursuit led him to encounter Kevin (Wood), a sneaky and competent adversary.

In a recent video for Vanity Fair, Wood explained how the clash between Marv and Kevin in Sin City was a career-first experience for him. Wood was briefly on set, having sH๏τ his scenes in a matter of days, but revealed that he was performing opposite Rourke’s stunt double. Wood was hooked to a wire for the majority of his fight, and explained that “I think I threw my back out.” Read his comments below:

We filmed all of Kevin’s scenes in two days. The thing about ‘Sin City’ is it was entirely sH๏τ on a soundstage. All against green screen. I think there were only a few sets that were actually built. Everything else was laid in post-production. When I went to Austin to shoot, over the course of those two days, Mickey Rourke had already sH๏τ out his entire Marv character. It was done. So I was only working with his stunt double at that stage. Just prior to getting there, if I remember correctly, they were like, ‘Have you ever done any wire work before?’ And I hadn’t, but I was super game. And so a lot of those like jump kicks, I was on the harness and wires. It was awesome! I think I threw my back out. And I was in a little bit of pain by the end of the last day.

Wood also revealed that he was shown part of Sin City in advance and was stunned by how it was adapted and honored “the way that Frank Miller had drawn these characters and created this world.” He then explained his audition process, which was mainly him looking into a camera, and that he enjoyed playing the character of Kevin. The full video is below:

What This Means For Sin City

The Action Scenes Required Work

Sin City is very stylized as a film noir, and so it makes sense that the action sequences included wire work and more than basic hand-to-hand fight choreography. When Marv first comes across Kevin, the adept killer launches at him, kicking him to the ground and using a sledgehammer to knock him unconscious. Then, throughout the ensuing chaos, as Marv becomes more determined to track him down, Rourke’s character single-handedly murders a police unit.

There are many notable action scenes in Sin City, which include weapon use and explosions, fast-driving cars, and vicious brawls. The confrontations between Marv and Kevin are highlights, because of their opposing builds and Kevin’s unique skills. During their second fight, Marv sets up obstacles, but Kevin impressively soars over them. He continues striking at Marv, hanging in the air while dropping forceful blows, until Marv finally gets the better of him. It perfectly fits the heightened reality Sin City depicts.

Our Take On Wood’s Sin City Character

He Makes The Most Of His Role

One memorable moment from “The Hard Goodbye” storyline is when the brutal, cannibalistic tendencies of Kevin are revealed. His silent nature, coupled with razor-sharp nails and agility, made the standoffs against Marv all the more compelling. It is a small role in Sin City, and one that is different for Wood, but the actor makes the most of it and, based on his comments, he seemed to enjoy the process.

Source: Vanity Fair