Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For (18) review
It seems like an eternity ago, but the original Sin City wowed me at the cinema back in 2005.
A lot has changed in nine years though – Sven-Göran Eriksson was England manager back then, for example. But one thing that has stayed true to its roots is Sin City 2: A Dame To Kill For.
Robert Rodriguez’s second attempt at bringing Frank Miller’s cult neo-noir comic to life is like revisiting an old friend, as it once again attempts to knit together a number of short stories together into one big visual masterpiece.
This time around, Miller’s existing tales “Just Another Saturday Night” and (of course) “A Dame to Kill For” are used, while “The Long Bad Night” and “Nancy’s Last Dance” were written specifically for this film.
Marv (Mickey Rourke), Nancy (Jessica Alba), Senator Roark (Powers Boothe) and (briefly) John Hartigan (Bruce Willis) all return from the original, while Dwight McCarthy is now portrayed by Josh Brolin rather than Clive Owen (that switch is kind of explained if you’re paying attention).
Of the other fresh faces, Eva Green puts in a show-stopping performance as Ava, while Dennis Haysbert is impressive as man-mountain Manute and Joseph Gordon-Levitt slick as Johnny.
Rourke’s monstrous Marv serves as the mainstay for much of the film and opens up with “Just Another Saturday Night” – which sees him wake up surrounded by a bunch dead young guys.
It’s the shortest of the four stories, but sets the stage for Marv’s larger role in the others.
“A Dame to Kill For” is naturally the main event and is the longest of the four. Here we see Brolin’s character reluctantly seduced by former love Ava, which sends his life into a real downward spiral.
Green’s Ava is seductive, stunning and evil in equal measure. It’s impossible to take your eyes off her on the screen – and she really steals the show here with her whopping web of deceit.
Look out for a gargantuan battle between Marv and Manute here (it’s not for the faint hearted) and a kill-count that would rival a small army.
“The Long Bad Night” introduces us to gambler Johnny, but mainly serves to hammer home just how much of a villain Senator Roark really is.
This one’s pretty brutal, but feels more under-developed than the rest.
Those of you that lapped up the first Sin City will enjoy “Nancy’s Last Dance”, which serves as a true conclusion to the original.
Here we see stripper Nancy as something of a tormented soul after the events of the original – and she’s now hell-bent on gaining revenge on Roark.
It’s a satisfying finale to the sequel and closes that particular story arc, with Nancy and Marv working together in terrific tandem.
Overall, this is more of the same – which will please you if you’re a fan, but not really do enough to change your view otherwise.
The visuals are top notch and there’s a big name in almost every scene (I’ve not mentioned the likes of Rosario Dawson, Ray Liotta, Lady Gaga, Christopher Lloyd and Jaime King).
Although not a classic, A Dame to Kill For is a top cinematic experience that is well worth your time.
Rating: 3.5/5 (Watched at West End Cinema, Boston)
