Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Starring: Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosario Dawson, Bruce Willis, Eva Green, Powers Boothe, Dennis Haysbert, Ray Liotta, Christopher Meloni, Jeremy Piven, Christopher Lloyd, Jaime King, Juno Temple, Stacy Keach, Jamie Chung, Lady Gaga, Alexis Vega
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Thriller
2014br>
Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Further violence and destruction meet the residents of Basin City.

Review:

Tim: I was pretty disappointed in the original Sin City. It certainly looked amazing and there was something interesting about the mayhem, violence, and gore that was presented to viewers. Unfortunately, the movie just felt a little too hollow-- too much focus on style and not enough on substance. The movie was decent, but it wasn't anything special. Now, a long 11 years after the original, we finally get a sequel. It doesn't seem like too many people were waiting for the sequel, as the film's box office was very disappointing. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For feels a lot like the original, but slightly less effective. I just wasn't a big fan of the movie.

Now, I know that these films tell multiple self-contained stories that all take place in Basin City. There may be a few connections here and there, but we are watching different characters in their own stories. I know it's supposed to be like a tapestry of violence, but really, it just gives the movie a disjointed feel. The same thing happened in the original movie. I finally get interested in Joseph Gordon-Levitt's story, and we have to jump to other characters. It creates a discordant feel to the movie and stunts any momentum that might have built up. There is a way to master this so that the transition feels seamless, but directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller have not mastered it.

The cast is once again impressive, although their actual performances leave a bit to be desired. Probably the most interesting character of the first film was Dwight, played by Clive Owen. We get Dwight again, but this time he's played by Josh Brolin. The story explains why this is so, and I get that, but I liked Owen's performance better than Brolin's. Brolin is a good actor and gives a strong performance, but I just liked Owen better. Mickey Rourke is fine, although he seemed cooler in the first film. Jessica Alba spends most of her screen time gyrating seductively before having a few brief moments that weren't all that exciting. I liked Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance, but his storyline was okay average. Bruce Willis shouldn't have been in the film, because his brief, unsatisfying role just reminds us how much better the movie would be if he was in it more. Eva Green is a great addition to the cast and delivered a crazy, over-the-top performance that was fun to watch. I also liked seeing Dennis Haysbert in a dark role. Ray Liotta and Christopher Lloyd were welcome additions, but I was disappointed they didn't have more to do. I barely remember Rosario Dawson being in the film at all. As often happens with these big casts, the initial excitement of seeing so many famous faces is quickly met with disappointment that they aren't all leveraged properly.

Like the first film, the different stories are all dripping with love, lust, violence, revenge, cruelty, treachery, betrayal and the like. I suppose there's interesting moments here and there, but it's hard to care about characters that are so stylized it's like watching a comic book come to life. Sure, it looks really, really cool on screen, but it almost feels two-dimensional. I never cared about any of the characters or their situations. The movie certainly won't bore you, but it just does enough to hold your attention. I doubt many people were riveted by what they saw on screen.

It's pretty shocking to me that while the original made $74 million at the box office, this film did less than $14 million. Even for an August release, that's really bad. I would say it's a combination of the original film not being as liked and memorable as those involved expected, the long delay between films, and the loss of the feeling that we were seeing something new and exciting. When Sin City came out, we'd never seen anything in that style. That's why I went to the theater to see it- it was unlike anything I'd ever seen. Eleven years later, and it all seems redundant and stale. I might not have hated Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, but I certainly wasn't a fan.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Sin City, The Spirit, Machete