The Spirit (2008)

Awards
- 4 nominations

Trivia
The only film Frank Miller directed alone.

Goofs
The soles of The Spirit's signature Converse-style shoes switch back and forth between black and white. This is intentional and matches how Frank Miller would draw the shoes. When the bottoms are featured, they are white. Otherwise the shoes are black on black.

Quotes
Ellen Dolan: You're in love with every women you meet, Mr. Spirit. You say lovely things to all of us and you mean every word you say.

Crazy credits
In the opening credits, the title of the film is the very last thing shown. Typically, the title appears early in the credits, and "directed by" is the final credit.

Alternate versions
The UK release was cut, the distributor chose to make cuts in order to to obtain a 12A classification, removing: focus on knives as a group of hoodlums surround and threaten a woman; sight of the hero mounting his foe on the ground and repeatedly punching him in the head; sight of a severed finger flying towards the camera; and part of a man's rib-cage embedded in the ground. An uncut 15 classification was available.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Revolutionary Road/Bedtime Stories/Marley & Me/Valkyrie/The Spirit (2008)

Soundtracks
Deutschland Uber Alles
Performed by Captain Helmut Witten and the German Airforce Band
Written by Joseph Haydn
Courtesy of Legacy International

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.