Review of Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014) by Harry W — 23 Sep 2014

As a massive fan of its predecessor, I figured that at worst Sin City: A Dame to a Kill For could offer some cheap thrills in the spirit of Sin City.

That proved to be the best level of expectation when going in to Sin City: A Dame to a Kill because it was a massively flawed film, but it still offered quite a bit to me as a guilty pleasure.

The narrative in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is rather flawed. The storylines in the film are quite repetitive as they constantly refer to the title in how the relationships shared between male and female characters influence their motivation for violence in the titular Sin City. The many stories in the film are rather repetitive and never break new ground in comparison to the preceding one. There is little new that Sin City: A Dame to Kill For actually brings to the table as it essentially just rehashes elements from the preceding film with uncreative storylines which are stretched a bit far and packed with a few too many plot points. The story in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For lacks the same brutal impact and originality that the original had, with too many elements from the original coming back once again. The highlight of the stories was the titular one known as A Dame to Kill For as despite its repetitive nature it was interesting in what it did for some of its characters, while the low point was Nancy's Last Dance as it was thin, generic and lacking in any real intelligence or anything that wasn't predictability.

Also, the pace of the film was a bit shaky. Considering that Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is a style-over-substance focused film with a shallow premise it is not too bad, but the pace of the film is a massive rush which could easily prove too much for people because it speeds through its 102 minute running time while it attempts to cram in so many plot dynamics. It can prove overwhelming, and is so full of formulaic story dynamics that it is surprising to know that the running time is only 102 minutes. The quantity of story elements would make it seems as if it is a lot longer than it actually is, so the experience is a massive rush. It is difficult to imagine that too many people who aren't already fond of the first Sin City would deem Sin City: A Dame to Kill For to be a good film. But considering that I am one of them, I was able to tolerate a lot and look at the film for its more positive virtues.

The majority of the positive aspects in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For come down to its technical characteristics and its cast, though more predominantly the former. Using the same visual style of Sin City, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For capitalises on the same stylish cinematography packed with excellently atmospheric noir techniques to capture the black and white colour palette of the film, as well as its strong scenery and great visual effects. The quantity of colour in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is upped slightly since the first film which gives it a good sense of energy as well, and the quantity of blood and gore in the film is cool. The action scenes are also entertaining, and they are fairly high in quantity so they deliver on the exciting and gritty promises that the comic book series made. The only slight technical fault at least in comparison to Sin City is that as everything is paced a lot quicker in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, there are a lot of scenes which are edited significantly quicker than in the first one. It isn't choppy, but the high quantity of editing can wear viewers down. Still, the film works as a visual treat.

And once again, the ensemble cast in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For do their part to make it work.

For me, Josh Brolin was the standout in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. I feel as if Josh Brolin played the role of Dwight McCarthy better than Clive Own, because he managed to capture such an intense level of grit in his part that he evoked memories of when Mickey Rourke first stepped into the role of Marv in the original Sin City. He has proven many times in various films to be able to tackle a role with merciless grit, and this is ideal to match the atmosphere of Sin City: A Dame to Kill For because it gives him the edge of a relentless hero. He leads the story with a lot of engaging intensity, and his approach to the material is fearless and edgy. He stays in a single aggressive state of mind the entire time which makes his driving force clear, and his line delivery is powerful. Josh Brolin is able to draw the interests of viewers in by conjuring up the appropriately aggressive determination in a story which is complex in terms of characters, and so he makes for an entertaining presence in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.

Eva Green is also great. In a career which has bloomed in recent years coming from portraying villains with intense manipulation stemming from sex appeal, Eva Green fits the profile of Ava Lord very well. She is incredible vivacious in the part while making it clear that she has a dark side which she is fearless at making use of. She delivers all of her lines with intense seduction which grips the interests of audiences and makes her a screen stealer. Eva Green's performance capitalises on the titular word Sin because it helps her tackle the profile of a female noir archetype while taking it to an all new level with her profound sense of internal darkness and utter sexiness. Her twisted gonzo performance in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For make her one of the most viable cast members.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For really introduces nothing new to the character Marv which is a shame as he is one of the most essential characters in the series. But still, Mickey Rourke deals justice to the part. His performance is nothing that wasn't already seen in the first Sin City, but he brings back the same level of intense grit to the part and single celled line delivery. His performance probably would have come off better if the film made more use of his character, but he is a good presence nevertheless in his supporting role.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is spot on in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For because the nature of his line delivery gives him a certain cocky demeanour, and he says every word with the appropriate level of confident sophistication. He doesn't step out of character for a second, and his entire role is grand. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is arguably one of the most popular actors in cinema today and so his presence in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is welcome, but he reminds us exactly why because he builds on the character more than the script is set up to allow him to. Joseph-Gordon Levitt brings more meaning to his character than the writing in the film does, so he is a welcome addition to the cast.

Ray Liotta does what he does best in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For by playing the small part of Joey the thug and bringing the same criminal intensity to the part in his small time on screen.

Dennis Haybert was also pretty good stepping into the role once portrayed by the late Michael Clarke Duncan, Manute. He brings the same relentless strength and intimidation to the role and echoes memories of a young Ving Rhames in the process.

Jessica Alba is ok, and Rosario Dawson is a welcome returning cast member.

Bruce Willis' cameo was somewhat unnecessary, but the general presence of him is good for the fans. Lady Gaga made a nice appearance as well, and Christopher Lloyd's edgy cameo was interesting.

So while the lack of originality in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For may elude some just as easy as the overly fast paced will overwhelm others, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For should appease many fans with a dedicated cast and the same strong visual style that the original Sin City had.