Review of Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014) by Lenny R — 07 Oct 2015

Technically superior to the original, but the structure is less innovative, and also a little confusing at the start, as it's part sequel and part prequel to the first movie. It's also very serious, containing little of the comic relief that made the original so engaging and made the violence more palatable. Here, it all gets a bit dreary after a while.

Marv is around a lot more this time, playing a central role in two of the three big stories, and it becomes obvious just how one-note the character is. Rourke does what he can, but there's really nowhere for him to go. Gail has less to do, but Dawson appears to be having just as much fun as last time, and is just as much fun to watch. Roark has a bigger role, and Powers Boothe steps up superbly. Nancy, too, is far more fleshed out; Alba throws herself into the performance and absolutely kills it. Haysbert tries like hell to be Michael Clarke Duncan, but clearly isn't. Jamie Chung is less convincingly badass as Miho than Devon Aoki. Gordon-Levitt, Willis, Meloni, Piven, Temple, Liotta, Keach and Lady Gaga are all fine. Marton Csokas makes his character immediately smarmy and hateful, purely due to the fact that he's played by Marton Csokas. Eva Green is perfectly cast as Ava. I know there were a lot of others considered for the role, but I can't think of another actress with the talent, confidence and commitment to pull it off as well as she does.

Josh Brolin (who I usually like) is the biggest disappointment in the cast; he's proven himself a talented mimic, but his Clive Owen is sorely lacking, and he's a far blander Dwight than his predecessor, failing to grasp the character's melodramatic earnestness, especially in the (copious) narration, where much of the character is revealed, or at least should be. The post-surgery scenes, where Josh is made up to look like a Clive Owen caricature, were the closest I came to a genuine laugh in the whole movie, and I don't think it was supposed to be funny.

No, it's not as good as the first one, or as good as Rodriguez at his solo best. But it's a damn sight better than The Spirit.