Alyssa Audrey Taylor ‘17 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. Photo Credit: The Weinstein Company.Sin City: A Dame To Kill For is both a sequel and prequel to 2006’s Sin City, with the majority of the stories taking place after the first movie, and one taking place before. Both returning and newer cast members make the stories come to life in a comic book stylization. The stories weren’t as strong as those of the previous film, but the superb acting and humor made it just as worthwhile. The film stars an large ensemble cast including returning cast members Jessica Alba, Jaime King, Powers Boothe, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, and Bruce Willis. Newer cast members include Alexa Vega, Dennis Haysbert, Jamie Chung, Eva Green, Julia Garner, Juno Temple, Christopher Meloni, Jeremy Piven, Ray Liotta, Lady Gaga and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Visually the film is wonderful. The movie is shot in black and white, with certain aspects (some of the characters, and tones of red) in deep, vivid color. The action moves along is as if a comic book was suddenly a part of our world, and the scenes (particularly action scenes portraying movement and violence) are often a mix of live action and comic like silhouettes, giving the film a unique look. Eva Green in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. Photo Credit: The Weinstein Company.
The acting lifted the stories as much as they could. While the voice-overs were sometimes funny, after a while they got tedious. However the acting was fantastic. Particularly shining in the film was Alba returning as Nancy, who’s in a darker place since we last saw her, Rourke as Marv, Chung (taking over the role of Miho from Devon Aoki), Boothe as Roarke and Gordon-Levitt, who stars as Johnny, a young, cocky gambler who is intent on taking down the Roarke. However the real star of the movie has to be Eva Green, as Ava Lorde, the former lover of Dwight McCarthy (Josh Brolin). She commands every scene she’s in, as a master manipulator, and is the best part of the film. Her performance was strong, and she often outshined the other people who were working in her segment.
The film consists of four stories (one of which is split into two parts), that mostly take place after the first movie. There’s really no way to know this, and because of this the film suffers a little. Honestly, because of the inconsistencies with story telling (Manute died in the last film, in a story that takes place after one in this film, in which he apparently [SPOILER] dies), and the non linear way the stories are told, it’s really hard to place a timeline on the stories in the film and how they relate to the ones in the first film.. Mickey Rourke in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. Photo Credit: The Weinstein Company.
However we know that ‘A Dame to Kill For’ takes place before ‘The Big Fat Kill’ because Dwight gets his new face in this movie, and that ‘Nancy’s Last Dance’ and ‘The Long Bad Night (Parts I & II)’ take place after the first movie because “The Yellow Bastard” is dead. The writing in all of these stories are great, with humor laced throughout, even in the darkest moments. ‘A Dame to Kill For’ and ‘The Long Bad Night (Parts I & II)’ have the strongest writing, and because of this, the actors give the greatest performances in these films.
While Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, is a strong movie, there are some definite flaws, the most glaring one being the nine year gap between the two movies release date. Stories that aren’t as compelling as the first Sin City don’t help the film. However the film will be enjoyable to both people who have already taken a trip to Sin City, and those who are just stopping in for a visit. Overall Grade : B
