BLU-RAY REVIEW: SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: ROBERT RODRIGUEZ, FRANK MILLER / SCREENPLAY: FRANK MILLER / STARRING: JOSH BROLIN, EVA GREEN, JESSICA ALBA, MICKEY ROURKE, JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT / RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 15TH
As for famous line goes, “Walk down the right back alley in Sin City, and you can find anything”. As such, Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller’s follow-up to their 2005 movie offers to deliver a whole host of varying combustible elements for its audience.
The central point of the film’s narrative is the A Dame to Kill For story, which sees Dwight (Brolin – replacing Clive Owen) involved in a twisted love story of sorts with the stunning, manipulative Ava Lord (Green). Intertwined with this main story, we have three other tales that all drop in at varying points throughout the film’s 102-minute running time; Just Another Saturday, featuring fan favourite Marv (Rourke) as he finds himself caught up in path of destruction after a night on the sauce takes a tumble towards blackout territory; The Long, Bad Night centres on cock-sure gambler Johnny (Gordon-Levitt) cleaning up and make an enemy of Sin City’s power-driven Senator Roark (Powers Boothe); and the sad tale of tormented stripper Nancy (Alba), holding a torch for the deceased Hartigan (Bruce Willis), takes a grief-stricken, bombastic twist in Nancy’s Last Dance.
Out of the collection of stories on show, some are adapted from the comic book source whilst others are new tales from the mind of creator Miller. As ever, though, the entire film is drenched in typical Frank Miller dialogue, hard-hitting, descriptively-grimy, and as sexed-up as an overdosed Viagra user in need of a cold shower. Much like Sin City, this sequel looks absolutely phenomenal in its texturing, its saturation, the way that the background and foreground embrace the characters engulfed within them, and the lightning and tone is simply exquisite – none more so than when casting an eye over Eva Green and her sumptuous curves. That said, the sight of Ray Liotta’s pasty white behind makes you yearn for the grainy, fuzzy days of VHS.
In terms of performances, all of this huge ensemble, which also features the likes of Rosario Dawson, Christopher Lloyd, Dennis Haysbert, Chris Meloni and Jeremy Piven, deliver when called upon, although Gordon-Levitt, Boothe and Green are the stars who really sparkle here. That said, they are also the characters who have the most intrigue and mystique to them. Green particularly shines, harking back to classic screen sirens and vixens of yesteryear.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For may not be quite as strong or engaging as its predecessor, but it is a strong enough movie to stand as its own beast, brimming with style, sleaze, razor-sharp dialogue and driven by some lavish chewing of scenery by several of its principles players.
Special Features: Three featurettes / Four character profiles
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