SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR – AUGUST 22
Director: Frank Miller & Robert Rodriguez (The Spirit, Once Upton a Time in Mexico, Spy Kids)
Stars: Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Powers Boothe
Synopsis: Violent crime and corruption plague the citizens of Basin City.
Runtime: 102 minutes
Quote: “Death is just like life in Sin City. It always wins. ”
Review: ‘Sin City: A Dame to Kill For’ is a monotone mess but is fun to look at.
The movie is split into four segments and follows several intertwined stories of Sin City’s citizens and criminals with their own motives and demons they have to face. It doesn’t follow any kind of chronological order, nor does it flow well which makes it very difficult to follow.
It lacks its predecessor’s excitement and turns two hours of what should continue the thrilling crime saga, into a boring weekend in the countryside. The dialogue comes off as cheesy with plenty of eye rolling included. The actors do what they can with the material but it falls victim to itself. Some of the films cameos are wasted with no real impact on the plot as well. (I’m looking at you Gaga).
Eva Green is the standout star in the cast although she basically spends her entire segment completely nude and sitting in different positions. She owns the role of a black widow and effortlessly transitions from weak and manipulative to stone cold killer in seconds.
Ultimately, ‘A Dame to Kill For’ builds up to a lot of nothing as the end scene has no payoff to a point where you didn’t even know the movie just finished. It could easily be used as a deleted scene for the DVD extras.
What saves the film, if you can keep your eyes awake, are its stylized visuals. Its monochromatic look with pops of color throw you deep into the bleak world of Basin City and its graphic novel roots.
‘Sin City: A Dame to Kill For’ has no real redeeming qualities and is just one more thing that Basin City has taken down with it.
