Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Comic book writer, Frank Miller, is...well...a strange case. He's basically one of those people that has had respect in his early career, but later got offensive to high levels. You can watch episodes of Linkara's "Atop The Forth Wall," and pretty much get a good idea of what kind of man Frank Miller is. That's not to say he's given out some good material; let's not forget, he WAS the guy that brought Batman back to his darker roots with "The Dark Knight Returns." Then there's the cult classic comic book, "Sin City."

For those who don't know, "Sin City" is a black & white comic that is a violent and gritty work of fiction; it uses colors for certain areas, but as a way of symbolism. Examples are red being power, blue as corruption, green is envy, and yellow as danger. When brought to the big screen, director Robert Rodriguez had Miller on board to make sure that every shot, pose, and effect was like it's predecessor, making it the first comic book movie LITERALLY brought to life. It's one of those examples of a shot-for-shot recreation done pretty damn well. The visual style is just breathtaking to look at, as it really manages to have both the look and feel of something new, and is a contender for Rodriguez's best film.

Talks of a sequel have been jumping around for a few years now, and it really has been raising speculation as to whether or not one was going to happen. When we did get a date for it, it ended up being swapped out for a different Rodriguez film, which either was a Grindhouse film or a shitty kids' film. It wasn't until after "Machete Kills," that we actually got an official release date for the sequel we've been waiting for: "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For."

Much like the last film, it tells at least three different stories throughout the course of the film: one story involving D'wight dealing with a girl from his past, a gambler with lucky hands who tangles with Senator Rourke, and Nancy and Marv going up against Rourke to take him out for good. While it may not seem like much, it's the characters that truly make this film a one of a kind, much like it's predecessor; to be honest, it rivals up there with the original, as well as the first GOOD Robert Rodriguez film since then.

The visuals are still a wonder to look at, and the camera angles are mesmerizing, to say the least. If there's one thing about the "Sin City" movies that they succeed completely at, it's the visual styles and color schemes, which I think they improved upon. And for a film like this, the 3D actually added to the experience of it, like adding secret sauce to your favorite burger. The action scenes are also fantastic to look at as well, with it being fast paced and pretty damn gory; I mean, it HAS "Kill" in the title, so why wouldn't it have violence?

The returning cast members from the first film, like Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Powers Boothe, Jessica Alba, Jamie King, and Rosario Dawson, all mange to do a pretty damn good job with what they're given, so no fault on their part; yes, I liked Jessica Alba in this film, don't go crazy. With the newest cast members on the other hand, there are only three that are majorly worth talking about. One is Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Johnny, the man with a lot of luck. Joe just seems to have this welcoming presence to him, that also gives you the feeling he's a daredevil; going up against the most powerful man in all of Sin City to prove he's better, just shows he's not afraid to let down a challenge, even if it means death. Gordon-Levitt still maintains to be one of my favorite actors, and this performance alone would be enough to prove why. Then we get Josh Brolin as D'wight, taking over the role that was originally played by Clive Owen; and while I enjoyed Clive Owen, Brolin just seemed more intimidating as D'wight. You can see the look in his eyes, that he's holding back, trying not to let his inner demons get the better of him. And lastly, we have Eva Green; oh my god, where do I begin with her? If you remember her role in "300: Rise of an Empire," try to imagine that only turned up to 11; sexy, manipulative, crazy, and simply hard to take your eyes off of. I do find it interesting, how in both Frank Miller movie sequels this year, she's pretty easygoing about performing full frontal. Maybe she just likes this type of character, who knows?

Now if I did have any complaints about the film, I'd have about two, but they're only nit-picks. One is the story in which the film is named after, "A Dame to Kill For," which features Brolin and Green's story, does tend to go on a bit too long; not that it was bad, I just felt like they should have cut to another story for a while, and then come back to finish it off. The other complaint I have is that the film just stops near the end of Nancy and Marv's story; again, it wasn't bad, it's just there wasn't quite enough weight for it to end like that. In fact, why didn't they just show that story as a break from D'wight's? Then end the film with D'wight's story, that would have been more fitting; but I digress.

Overall, "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For" is a film that's true to it's title; it's to kill for. If your a fan of the first film, don't miss your chance to check out this one. I'm a bit sad that the film is bombing as hard as it is, because it deserves a lot of love. Hell, go see it in 3D if you want; like I said, the 3D was great.

Rating: 9/10