Review of Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014) by Yannick B — 21 Sep 2014

"The movie is a worthy follower of the first and has fallen victim of the critics".

Sin City was a film that brought not only a visually nor style crime flick but indeed one of the best non-Marvel/DC comic adaptations in film terms. 9 years after being in 'Development Hell', it gets a sequel to further adapt more story-lines and characters. I will admit at first that it's not better or worse than the first movie but it does bring a strong sense of fun, story telling and more 'Tarantino' styled characters. Before its release in Australia recently, I have read reviews that claim that it's not good, poor and yet some where mixed or open-minded. Being a fan of the first one and the graphic novels, I can admit I was not disappointed.

The story-lines featured this time are the following (in order);.

"Just Another Saturday Night" - Marv wakes up in a middle of a car wreck, with no memory how he got there. He retraces his steps that lead him to a violent pursuit.

"The Long Bad Night" (Part 1) - Johnny arrives in Sin City, looking to win big at the local gambling club. Playing against Senator Roarke and others, Johnny uses his skills to win but comes a price when he crosses the line of who 'wins' first.

"A Dame To Kill For" - Set years before the events of "The Big Fat Kill" in the first film Dwight is fighting for a life of peace and sobriety, but instead is lead into big trouble with his ex-lover Ava who claims that she wants to be free from her abusive husband.

"The Long Bad Night" (Part 2) - After undergoing the abuse and assault of his winnings, Johnny sets for payback of his own and confronts the demon with a surprising twist.

"Nancy's Last Dance" - Struggling to cope with Hartigan's death after the events of "That Yellow Bastard", Nancy is driven to kill Senator Roarke as revenge but must tackle her demons and Hartigan's ghost (who appears to Nancy's mind) who is trying to convince her not to avenge him.

Firstly, each of the story lines are great in their own way and the perspective of the protagonist to tells the tale is indeed a strong factor that makes both the comics and first film's narratives seem appropriate. The decision to begin the film with Marv's story was cool, as an audience member I thought it was cool that the action immediately kicks of the film and shows that it won't be a shot-for- shot sequel that clones the first film (not to say that personally in a negative way) but I did like how the mixed narrative structure, black and white tone and the beautifully shot comic book styled panels were all back again as it makes the comics alive on screen.

With the characters and development, I can say that it was great and that the casting choices were picked well and they all delivered to their best of their ability. The returning actors and actresses from the first are Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Bruce Willis, Jaime King, and Powers Boothe while newcomers to the film include Josh Brolin (replacing for Clive Owen), Joseph Gordon- Levitt, Eva Green, Dennis Haysbert, Ray Liotta, Christopher Lloyd, Jamie Chung, Jeremy Piven, Christopher Meloni and Juno Temple. I did love Brolin and Green in particular, as Brolin made a decent Dwight giving a gruff yet tough performance of the man who fights for peace and justice for his wrongs (though Clive Owen did give a great version previously as well). While Eva Green is no stranger to play as a blood-thirsty bitch (see 300: Rise of an Empire to prove this) but her as Ava was indeed a sight for eyes to witness and does give a bit of eye candy with her body language.

Overall, It's a definite good feeling that the sequel wasn't disappointing at all but it's a bit bad that audiences won't rush to see this because of the 9 year gap it underwent (this caused a bad Box-Office earning for its first week in the US and had people naming it a box office bomb for the year).

But take my word, ignore what others say about it as its a decent sequel that needs to be seen. I just hope maybe it will develop a small cult status for those who appreciated it.