Sin City: A Dame to Kill For- Review

"Turn down the right alley in Sin City..."

A decade can be a long time to wait for pretty much anything when you think about it. Almost ten years ago audiences were hit with the sucker punch that was Robert Rodriguez's and Frank Miller's (then) incredibly ambitious film-noir homage Sin City.

To say the least, it was a bit of a game changer back in those days. Before this point no one had ever seen something so stylish, something so hard hitting, or something so incredibly accurate to its source material that it ultimately opened the doors for other comic-accurate projects. Adaptations such as Frank Miller's 300 and (to some extent) Alan Moore's The Watchman might not have been possible if not for the high praise and financial success the original Sin City received.

After what feels like an almost hopeless eternity (for those who've been waiting) we're finally getting that follow up we were promised. Does this newest installment live up to the original? Was it worth the near decade long wait? Is it at least an entertaining watch? To be quite honest, it's a little hard to say. One part of me feels that it's a pretty good successor to the original, but part of me also feels that after almost ten years we deserve more.

I still remember watching the first Sin City like it was yesterday, and had this movie come out only two or three years after that inaugural film, I may have been willing to give some leniency to A Dame to Kill For. Seeing as how that isn't the case I do have to ponder why it took so long to do what kind of amounts to so little. It's not that it's a bad sequel, but when one takes the time to consider the distance between these first and second outings, you have to wonder if making this movie was ever a good call to begin with. Expectations were bound to be high, and this picture doesn't have the element of surprise like the first one did in 2005.

Much like the first Sin City, A Dame to Kill For tells four separate tales that interweave with one another to form what is essentially just another night in the worst city on Earth. The first story "Just Another Saturday Night" focuses on the character Marv, who regains consciousness on a highway among several dead bodies. With little to go on he begins trying to piece together his fragmented memories of the night and what lead him to where he's at now. The second story "The Long Bad Night" follows a young gambler named Johnny who is on a mission to bring down Sin City's biggest villain, Senator Roark, at his own game. The third story "A Dame to Kill For" details Dwight McCarthy as he struggles with his inner demons. When his former lover Ava comes back into his life everything Dwight has worked so hard to keep control of comes tumbling down. The final story "Nancy's Last Dance" tells of exotic dancer, Nancy Callahan's growing thirst for revenge against Senator Roark. Driven to near insanity, Nancy enlists the help of Marv to take down Roark once and for all.

For those who're into the whole film-noir style storytelling that Sin City aims for, you'll more than likely get a kick out of this movie. Sadly it does have a bit of a reliance on knowledge of the previous flick, so if you go into this one without watching the first (or at least refreshing yourself on some of the details) you're probably going to end up lost. While A Dame to Kill For does feature chapters from the Frank Miller comics, two of the tales are completely brand new and written specifically for this picture. "The Long Bad Night" and "Nancy's Last Dance" are the new pieces and thankfully I do feel that they gel pretty well with the other stories. They provide some decent resolution to some of the bits from the first film, but sadly they also feel smaller by comparison. The first Sin City had a lot of charm to it and the stories all came together into what felt like a much larger narrative, here things feel more like a period at the end of a sentence. Important yes, but only a small part of a bigger whole. "A Dame to Kill For" takes up a large portion of the film (and rightfully so considering the title) but it feels like it takes a bit too long to really go anywhere. Unlike in the first Sin City, where the pacing to each chapter was near pitch perfect, this one comes off as slightly disjointed and uneven in its execution. It isn't outright bad, but it's definitely not as solid as the original.

In regards to the acting there is a lot to like here, if you're into the style. Returning members of the cast such as Mickey Rourke as Marv, and Powers Boothe as Senator Roark, jump right into their roles as if they never left. While newcomers like Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordan Levitt, and Eva Green fit right in with the senior cast. Surprisingly enough, Jessica Alba (who I've never really thought of as being that good an actress) actually kicks out a pretty impressive turn as a deteriorating Nancy. She portrays Nancy's fall into psychosis with a level of investment that I haven't seen from her before. Bruce Willis does exactly what you expect Willis to do (either for better or for worse) by just standing there, mugging for the camera, and attempting to look tough in spite of his aging appearance. That is perhaps the most unfortunate thing, as a portion of the actors haven't aged too well between installments. It's pretty obvious from the get go that some of the actors returning are ten years older, making it hard to believe that some of these stories actually take place before the first Sin City.

"That there is a dame to kill for."

The style and flare that blew us all away in 2005 is back and in full force with A Dame to Kill For. Heavy contrasts, spotted blacks, selective color, and exaggerated features all look just as good now as they did then... somewhat. The big problem here is that, with the advent of high definition filming, you can somewhat see a lot of the strings and seams now. Right from the get go we see Marv come flying onto the screen and it is wholly apparent that not only is Mickey Rourke much more older looking, but that his makeup for the Marv character is just that; makeup. The copious amounts of CGI (thanks in part to the heavy use of green-screen) is so blatantly obvious that it borderlines on being either a conscientious stylistic choice to partially distracting. Don't get me wrong, I still like the style, but it doesn't have the advantage of being fresh and exciting like it once was. I will say though that the female cast members look amazingly gorgeous here, and even though there is a great deal of nudity onscreen it feels very artistic and tasteful in its depiction.

Robert Rodriguez not only returns as the director in A Dame to Kill For but also reprises his role as composer. I do feel that he manages to once again capture the gritty sound that something like Sin City requires through his use of thumping bass beats and wailing saxophones. It can only really be described as what I like to call "dark jazz" and its immediately catchy the moment the opening credits start to roll. While a few of the tracks and themes from the previous film do crop up here, they still manage to invoke the vibes necessary to drive scenes home. Every bit of the score feels like it belongs there in each sequence, matching the action and drama with expert timing.

Overall Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is a sufficient follow up to the modern classic that is its predecessor. It just doesn't feel like it's a film that should take almost ten years to make. In spite of the slightly uneven pacing, somewhat obvious special effects, and lackluster impact it still manages to be an entertaining watch by the end. I think that the important parts that helped make the first piece work so well are still here, it's just that some of the magic has worn off over the course of the last nine years. I don't see people heralding this one as a game-changer, and will more than likely only really appeal to those who've been eagerly awaiting this new iteration since 2005.

Positive Factors

• The flash and flare of the original is back for an all new fairly decent installment.
• New stories written for the film mesh well with the ones from the comic.
• Acting is solid with good performances all around from both the returning and new cast. Jessica Alba even manages to impress.
• A lot of the stylistic choices still look good, and the women here are downright gorgeous.
• Music is rock solid. Rodriguez's score is just as dirty and sultry as you need it to be.

Negative Factors

• Doesn't feel like it should have taken almost ten years to get this sequel to audiences.
• Not quite as evenly paced or fluid as the original.
• The years haven't been kind to some of the actors. They look ten years older.
• The special effects don't look quite as impressive this time around. This one doesn't have the benefit of surprise anymore.

Final Rating: Splenderiffic! (But just barely)