Movie Review: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Following up on the original 2005 hit, Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez go all in once again with their adaptation of Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. The first film was groundbreaking and original, inspiring a wave of similar films, some successful and some not so much. But this sequel is by far the best graphic novel adaptation since Sin City hit theaters almost 10 years ago.
The movie follows the same style as the original with multiple storylines ongoing and intersecting at certain points. In one segment, Marv (Mickey Rourke) has a hard time remembering where he was and what he has done. The story follows him as he tries to piece everything together. The second story follows Johnny (Joseph Gordon Levitt), a gambler that is trying to take down the powerful Senator Roark. He gets the better of Roark but pays a price. He swears to get revenge and does so, but cannot come out on top.
The next segment deals with the movie’s subtitle as Dwight McCarthy (Josh Brolin), a man trying to put his past behind him, gets involved with an old lover, Ava (Eva Green). He thinks she is in trouble and gets Marv to help him. But his actions end up making him a wanted man and he goes to Old Town to hide out for a little while. With the assistance of the hookers in Old Town, he goes back after Ava to rid her from his life for good.
The final story revolves around Nancy (Jessica Alba) and her struggles after John Hartigan’s (Bruce Willis) suicide. She wants to kill Senator Roark but can’t pull the trigger. She finally snaps, asks Marv for help, and they go to Roark’s house for the final showdown.
“A Dame to Kill For” may not leave you feeling like you did after watching the original, but not many films can captivate an audience like its predecessor. But this sequel is as close as you can get to the original. The style and visuals are amazing and the ensemble cast is top-notch. Joining the already listed cast members is returning stars Rosario Dawson, Jamie Chung, and Powers Boothe and newcomers Ray Liotta, Juno Temple, Jeremy Piven, Christopher Meloni, Christopher Lloyd, and Denis Haysbert.
The film only made $39.4 million with a $65 million budget. It was a box office bomb. But I don’t understand why. Maybe it was just too long between films and people forgot about the series. Or maybe it was just overlooked with other strong releases around it. I’m not sure. But I must say that it is a great film and will definitely keep you interested for 1 hour 45 minutes that it runs.
Daryl Karpinski Jr.
Good review. Given the qulity of the original, the weight of expectation was high. I didn’t really do anything new or terribly interesting, which is partly why there is so much apathy towards it. I found it passable enough entertainment. Eva Green was fun too.