Almost a decade after Sin City, the movie based on Frank Miller’s Graphic Novels of the same name (Read them they are brilliant), Sin City: A Dame to Kill For hits theaters in the US. As a fan of Miller’s I was of course looking forward to this movie a great deal and I admit to not leaving the theater unhappy or irritated, being that I am a sequel hater that is very good!
Keeping true to its graphic novel roots this neo-noir action thriller is again filmed using a high contrast black and white style, with cleverly selected pops of bold, vibrant color that highlight only the best details. Along with the comical bits of animation, and the KNB EFX team creating the incredible looks for the damaged, hurt, and pissed off characters who dominate the screen this movie again wins. This is truly a stunning film in my opinion, most of the reason I love these movies is I love how they look, in 2014 it is not the most cutting edge or high-tech per-say, but it is stunning and they did a great job once again staying true to their graphic novel style.
The music that pulses throughout the film created by Robert Rodriguez and Carl Thiel, really helps set the dark bloody revenge filled mood that is carried through the different stories this movie follows; there is a dark energy to it that really gets beneath your skin.
Directed again by Miller and Rodriguez A Dame To Kill For follows four different plots:
“Just Another Saturday Night” follows easy to ignite Marv (Michey Rourke) and Nancy (Jessica Alba).
“The Long Bad Night” painfully details the misfortunes of cocky gambler Johnny (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Marcie (Julia Garner) his good luck charm, along with a fun cameo appearance; lets just say Doc. Brown has changed a bit!
“A Dame to Kill For” puts Dwight (Josh Brolin) back in the hot seat when he encounters Ava Lord (Eva Green), a former lover. This plot also brings back, Gail played by Rosario Dawson, along with killer Miho (Jamie Chung) and brief appearances by Ray Liotta, Christopher Meloni, and Jeremy Piven.
“Nancy’s Last Dance” picks up years after Sin City leaves off with “That Yellow Bastard” and features vengeful and struggling Nancy (Alba), Hartigan (Bruce Willis), and evil son-of-a-bitch Senator Roark (Powers Boothe).
I again enjoyed each storyline a great deal, but I do admit this sequel on occasion does go flat, and is not as powerful as the first (which I recommend watching if you have not already.) Overall this is a very sexy movie with several very nude scenes done in a way that is both risky and tasteful, and the sex scenes are not what you expect most of the time. After the movie if you are a woman you might feel like dressing as a dominatrix and buying a big gun because again the women kick ass, which almost makes up for all the naked breasts (although the guys will appreciate both).
I did not see this movie in 3D and honestly see no reason to pay the extra money as it does not need it, though that could be a personal preference. Overall I recommend seeing this on the big screen as a matinée, it’s a beautiful and enjoyable action thriller.
According to IMDB Sin City: A Dame to Kill For has a current Australian release date of September 18th, here is the trailer; give it a try!!
[xrr rating=3.5/5]
Enjoy 😉
