'Sin City: A Dame To Kill For' A Review

Sin City: A Dame To Kill For is the sequel to the 2005 graphic novel adaptation Sin City. Like the original the movie has an anthology format and contains an intro then three vignettes. It sits in unclear chronological relation to the original which creates a certain amount of confusion given many characters return, some who are dead, and two of which are played by different actors. Bad men and booze, manipulative dames and vengeful bastards- the "story" is unimportant and borders on incoherent.

The past nine years have not been kind to the once anticipated sequel. A Dame To Kill For strives for the edge, the gritty violence, the dark humor, the sleekness of the original but achieves only farce. The one liners fall flat, the characters are dull, and action is rote.

The star-studded ensemble is woefully inappropriate: half aged men, half disinterested women, capped with the ever over committed Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Mickey Rourke's return as Marv is the biggest disappointment. Rourke's portrayal has gone from menacing justice-seeking gladiator to jovial vigilante sidekick. His weight gain also significantly lessens the potency of his once iconic Marv. The only saving grace in the movie is the titular dame played by Eva Green. Always a flashing and magnetic personality on screen she does the best with what she's given and soldiers through perpetual and unnecessary nudity. The rest of the cast flounders through the clunky script and fails to enliven a DOA plot. Josh Brolin is so wooden he almost fades into the background, Jessica Alba is incredibly lost playing the same character but with antithetical behaviors.

No surprise after a nine year weight the sequel doesn't live up to the original. But shocking how far Rodriguez and Miller have fallen, one wonders if they are still capable of creating a compelling film.

Tedious, confused, and unintentionally misogynistic.

Don't See It.