Review of Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014) by Lewis E — 08 Nov 2014

Those who were fans of the first will still love the black and white colour scheme, slick visual effects, unapologetic violence and Mickey Rourke's gritty Marv, despite him only being centre stage for a very short spell. However the story content in 'Sin City: A Dame to Kill for' is lacking. Whereas every saga in the first film hit the mark, every one in this sequel seem to miss it. Johnny (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)'s gambler tale didn't go nowhere. It actually pretty much went round in circles. Dwight (Josh Brolin)'s affair of love and betrayal just wasn't that interesting in spite of a compelling (and frequently naked) Eva Green. And finally the little revenge show by Nancy (Jessica Alba) felt like it was needlessly retreading old ground which was already appropriately concluded (i.e. Bruce Willis's story in 'Sin City'). This sequel had less impressive innovation to story twists and the action, no intelligent cross-overs between the characters, and missed the constant high intensity which the original thrived upon.

It gets a decent score primarily due to my long-lasting appreciation for how they stylishly translate the décor of Sin City from Frank Miller's graphic novel to the big screen. Nevertheless 'Sin City: A Dame to Kill for' is no doubt a significant downgrade from its predecessor.