It’s been 9 years since the first Sin City film came out and I have eagerly waited for the day when a sequel would be announced. When I first saw the trailer for Sin City: A Dame to Kill For I nearly fainted. All the black and white mystery, sex, and violence was back! I counted down the days this summer and even made up a quick Sin City style cosplay to see it in(seen below *Hey guys nice to meet you!*). 
NOW FOR MY VERDICT. I saw A Dame to Kill For in glorious 3D (and got really cool ninja turtle 3D glasses for some reason). The black and white hyper stylized look of Frank Miller’s comics translated beautifully into 3D. Oh! Also before I get too into this review… THE TRAILERS. Quentin Tarantino’s newest film The Hateful Eight finally gets a teaser trailer and it will get you pumped like no other. Since Tarantino wasn’t involved in A Dame to Kill For like he was in the first film, this was a welcomed bit of Tarantino goodness.
BACK TO THE REVIEW.
I am a huge sucker for a great opening sequence and A Dame to Kill For certainly has one. Frank Miller’s art from the comics helps set the tone for the film and would entice Sin City fans old and new. Just like in the 2005 Sin City, the film does a great job of playing with color. Pops of color here and there help identify the character’s personalities and intentions, which is darn pretty cool. Also all the ultra violence looks flippin’ sweet in black and white.
Like the first Sin City, A Dame To Kill For has an all-star ensemble cast. Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon Levitt, and Eva Green, most noticeably join the mix as main cast members. I won’t reveal too much about the cast since it is kind of fun to be like “Oh it’s that guy!”, but man is it cool to see the Allstate guy kicking ass. Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a great job of adopting the seedy greaser feel and makes you forget what a nice person he is in real life. Also they sure do know how to cast their lady leads. Hawties left and right. Jessica Alba is back as the exotic dancer, Nancy, and Eva Green joins the Sin City world as the seductress Ava Lord. As a fan of Penny Dreadful I was glad to see Eva Green take part in A Dame to Kill For. Plus Rosario Dawson, DAMN. (Side note: If you do not like seeing nudey bits, this film is not for you. There are lots of them. If you do… Flame on!! XD)
Similar to the first is the comic’s creator Frank Miller’s heavy involvement with the film. A Dame to Kill For is mainly based off of the second volume of Sin City with a few new stories created by Miller himself exclusively for the film. While the film retains the distinctive gritty feel of the first film, it does lack the feel of mystery that pulled me in originally. A Dame to Kill For is a revenge tale and rarely strays from that idea. While it is fulfilling to see what the old Sin City characters are up to and what the new folks are doing the plot does get jumbled at a few points. It doesn’t have as smooth of a convergence as the first film which was a bit of a letdown for me.
All in all I think A Dame to Kill For accomplished what it set out to do. The plot ties up loose ends for a few characters and helps broaden the world of Sin City. Its fight scenes and car chases were as badass as I had hoped they would be as well. I would suggest this film to people who are a fan of the original, or folks who just plain dig violence and badassery. If you aren’t a fan of the comics or haven’t seen the first sin City this film may not be for you. The film doesn’t do the greatest job of making it easy for first timers to understand what is going on and who’s who. I don’t know how much of a new crowd A Dame to Kill For will get and I don’t think that’s really what they are aiming for. A Dame to Kill For is a film almost strictly for fans with the hope that maybe it’ll get you hooked.
-Spocktopus
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