Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

I have to get something out of my system before I start this review...

Jessica Alba,

Eva Green,

GOT!

DAMN!

Trust me, it's better this way otherwise I would have spent 1,000+ words drooling over two of the most beautiful women on the planet.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For comes a staggering nine years after the original, usually enough time to effectively kill a sequel unless it's a reboot (and if the unfortunate early box office numbers are any indication, that may be the case here). Similar to 300: Rise of an Empire earlier this year, Sin City is back to attempt to blow us all away again.

The first film certainly had its issues and I'll admit, I haven't seen it for quite some time. But I'll be damned if it didn't shock the industry. Tons of big name talent, extreme violence, a rare noir style of plot presentation, and visuals that had never been seen before. Audiences were amazed and entranced even if the underlying film was slightly less than amazing. The blacks, whites, greys, and very sparingly used primary color pallet was truly nothing short of jaw-dropping.

Now, all these years and several copy cat attempts later (the most successful of which being the original 300) we are given the prequel/sequel that covers two stories from the famous Frank Miller graphic novels.

^^ Similar to me in Denver traffic and construction!!

Now, I'm not the biggest expert on the Sin City graphic novels (although I have always wanted to take the plunge and purchase them), but it seems like they used two of the better stories in the first film. A Dame to Kill For includes that same-titled story as well as an additional one about Nancy getting revenge for Hartigan's death from the first. This film, even more so than the first, is disjointed to say the least. The two stories feel almost entirely separate other than Mickey Rourke's Marv appearing in both of them. Luckily, the Dame to Kill For story starts near the beginning and runs its course without interruption. It's certainly the very best part of the film.

He may look like a million bucks, but boy
is he DUMB!

The cast is impressive and most parties do a good job. Rosario Dawson gets a lesser role this time around and she seemed to be trying way too hard. Joseph Gordon-Levitt gets the HUGE short end of the stick in this one. His plot line is completely useless, doesn't play into the bigger picture at all, and his character is just dumb. Not dumb as in I didn't like him but dumb as in, "What's the worst possible decision I could take here? Oh that one? Ok. I'll do that then." At 102 minutes I can understand why the film needed that in there, but I would have much rather had them extend the storyline of Eva Green's, Ava. Speaking of Eva Green...dear Lord is she helping a bunch of teenage boys through puberty this year or what? Between 300: Rise of an Empire and this film, I imagine I would be deeply in love if I was a decade younger. Other than her...ahem...nude scenes...she really does fantastic here. She plays a maniac mixture of her damsel-in-distress Casino Royale persona and her viscous war lord from Rise of an Empire. It's enticing to watch her switch between them as she uses, chews, and spits back up all the men in her life. Her story (the prequel aspect to this series) is some of the best that the franchise has to offer and the attached stories about Gordon-Levitt's Johnny and Jessica Alba's Nancy range from boring to pretty good, respectively.

One of the few scenes where Eva Green actually has clothes on.
Not that I'm complaining. Not in the slightest.

"Sin City is a place where insurance is a
necessary investment. Call State Farm today
to get a price quote!"
Yes. Yes that is the State Farm guy.

I think it's pretty evident that this series wouldn't be much without its style. Can you imagine the lack of voice overs, black/white/color hyper styling, and violence/nudity? It would be incredibly forgettable. But thus, the series DOES have this aesthetic and the easiest way to describe it would be: amazing. It's not as ground breaking as it once was, but I was still drooling over the black and white rain, Eva Green's haunting green eyes, highlighter-white blood, and many more little features. It really is like watching a comic book in motion and its quite gorgeous. There were a few scenes where color was used and I wasn't quite sure why (I'm sure it has to do with the graphic novel), but other than that it was phenomenal. Additionally, the movie is sexy as all hell with Jessica Alba and Eva Green having we wagging my tongue like a cartoon character for at least 30% of the film's run time. I also had a fun time with the film's violence, although I don't think it was as intense/grotesque as the first one's. But an infiltration on the dame's living compound is especially riveting...full of black and white blood and bullets.

I just...I just couldn't...help myself. What a glorious .gif!

Where 300: Rise of an Empire was a pretty unimpressive sequel from earlier in the year (I've realized as time has passed that I am more disappointed with it than I initially suspected), Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is a double pronged sword. Whenever the film is about that aforementioned Dame, it's absolute gold. And when it's not? It suffers at varying degrees.

So in essence I suppose that Eva Green really IS a dame to kill for...

CONS:

• Gordon-Levitt's story is as useless as his character would be in a multiple choice exam. Easily the low point of the film
• Nancy's quest for revenge isn't bad by any means, but when held up against the film's main plot, this one is a lot less interesting
• Really? We couldn't have found another beefy African American than the State Farm guy? Every scene he was in I was fully prepared for him to start selling me insurance
• The opening doesn't play into the larger story at all. Seems like useless filler
• Overacting by Rosario Dawson
• Feels like two different films as the path that the story is told is disjointing
• It's an immature film from an immature director. I had no problem with this as I knew it going in, but I imagine that some people would be offended, potentially women
• Ends on a bit of a low note
• Not as impactful/ground-breaking as the first one

PROS:

• The Dame to Kill For story line is fantastic from start to finish
• Eva Green and her...assets? But seriously, outside of the plethora of nude scenes, her acting remains as we have always known it to be: fantastic
• Jessica Alba should be in the Magic Mike sequel. And as far as her acting, she also does a good job here despite her story being less interesting
• Most of the cast does a good job hamming it up as their character. I especially enjoyed Powers Boothe as the villain, Senator Roark
• Sin City's visual style is back and better than ever, especially in 3D. I would argue that it was worth the extra price and annoying glasses
• Well choreographed, if not ridiculous, violence. The highlight was a couple of infiltration scenes
• Did I mention Eva Green and Jessica Alba? Oh right...I did
• A worthy, less iconic, follow up to the original from nine years ago

Rath's Review Score: 7.5/10