Sin City: A Dame to Kill For – Movie Review
Nearly a decade after Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino and Frank Miller brought us the awesome stylized graphic novel adaptation “Sin City”, they return for the sequel “A Dame to Kill For” (minus Tarantino). Even though the return to Basin City aka Sin City looks just as stunning as the first trip, it is seriously lacking in the fun department. There is a lot of action, violence and sexiness, but it all just feels so hollow. By the time we get to the final act, I found myself bored.
Most of the major players from the first film are back, with the exception of Michael Clarke Duncan who passed away. Dennis Haysbert steps in for the late actor as Manute. Also Josh Brolin takes over for Clive Owen in the role of Dwight. Brolin is not only one of the best additions but he is also one of the best elements of the entire film. I actually feel like he is a few steps up from Owen. Powers Boothe makes for one hell of a villain and it is great to see him back at it, causing great pain to his latest victim Johnny (Joseph Gorden-Levitt). Of course we can’t forget about Marv, who thanks to Mickey Rourke, continues to be my absolute favorite character in the two films.
Some of the actors get to have some fun with their roles, like brief appearances from Christopher Lloyd as a back alley doctor and Ray Liotta as a guy who doesn’t seem to know how to treat a lady. I also loved Chistopher Meloni as the detective who is lured in by Ava (Eva Green), but Green who is the film’s title character is actually the least interesting star here. I just couldn’t buy that each of the men she seduces actually fall for it. Jessica Alba, Bruce Willis, and Rosario Dawson have returned, but their story arcs are just flat, and Alba’s revenge plot ends with not much of an interesting payoff. “A Dame to Kill For” is filled with plot holes and minor characters that are completely wasted. One example is Wallenquist (Stacy Keach) who is thrown in for one scene and then never heard from again. He had the potential to be another kick-ass villain. You might find yourself confused that characters who died in the first film (Marv) are alive and kicking, well that’s because “A Dame to Kill For” is a prequel and a sequel. The Dwight, Marv, and Johnny stories take place before the events in the first film, but the story arc of Nancy (Alba) is a sequel.
I wanted to love “A Dame to Kill For” and for the first 20 or so minutes it showed promise, but ultimately this lackluster sequel just seemed to get lost in itself, reduced to a whole lot of nothing. It’s a shame too because there are so many fun performances, but not enough for me to recommend the film. Only die-hard fans of Frank Miller’s work should give it a look but the rest of you should skip it or wait for video.
By: Marc Ferman