Sin City: A Dame To Kill For is a crime thriller based on Frank Miller’s classic series and is the sequel to Sin City. It follows the exploits of the inhabitants of the city, who despite the pitfalls of the city constantly clawing at them from the depths of misery, still find a way to exist in its midst. Marv is one such person, and his night is indicative of how things usually turn out for him, meaning there’s blood everywhere and he doesn’t remember what happened. He’s on the side of the road surrounded by bodies and cars, and slowly the night starts to come back to him. He remembers leaving the bar he usually frequents and while outside he notices some frat guys setting some homeless men on fire and laughing about it. He’s not entirely sure if he was being a good Samaritan or just itching for a fight when he intervenes but when one shoots him in the arm and they see he’s still standing they start to flee, thinking they can escape in their car. He pursues them and eventually causes a crash killing a couple of them, and that was responsible for him being knocked out for a little while. He now remembers that two of them made their way towards the projects after the crash, and that’s the worse thing they could do because that’s his home, and they won’t stand a chance as he follows them. Their fate is similar to those who come to Sin City looking for trouble because they find more than what they bargained for. However, Johnny is another one from out-of-town but instead of looking to burn homeless men he wants to use his unusual luck to gain access to an exclusive poker game. It’s not just so that he can win money and leave with any woman he wants, it’s also so he can beat the most powerful man in the state, Senator Roarke, in front of everyone. But seeing as how everyone in the city has been affected by Senator Roarke in some way from the dancer Nancy to the corrupt cops doing his bidding, is Johnny biting off more than he can chew or will the Senator’s time finally be up?

I loved the first Sin City whether it was its slick visuals with its penetrating contrasts or the way it blended the narratives of the eccentric characters to form an overall engrossing story. I always wanted a sequel but considering it’s been 9 years since the release of the first one I couldn’t remember all the details of it let alone whether it would appeal to a completely new audience even with its visuals and 3D nudity. And so the start of it felt as jolting as it would’ve felt for Marv to come to his senses with dead bodies around him and not knowing how he got there because I was waiting for a beginning that never occurred. The opening sequence was entertaining separately but I did have some familiarity with the character and world this was set in so that played a huge factor. And when the narrative transitioned to Johnny entering Sin City it still felt the same where separately it was entertaining but in terms of an overall story it felt disjointed. Visually it worked, and its noir style visuals perfectly captured the brooding mood of the characters, their slick behavior and actions. So whether it was Marv taking his anger out on rich frat boys or Johnny treating a coin like it’s just an extension of his hopes in his hands, it was a sight to see. But with events just occurring it was difficult to feel completely engrossed, and it wasn’t until later in Johnny’s story that things started to ring a bell especially with the revelations. This helped put Nancy’s struggles into context as her connection with Senator Roarke was brought to the forefront occasionally. So I can only imagine how these disconnected series of events could come off to someone who never saw the first one.

SUMMARY

Sin City: A Dame To Kill For is visually impressive with memorable characters and segments but suffers from it ending just as abruptly as it starts without establishing an overall compelling narrative. This takes away from the 2 opening segments and leaves a bad taste at the conclusion of the last segment but in between it’s a thrilling ride that pulls you into its world and the troubled psyches of those inhabiting it. It would’ve benefited from having the city established outside of the personal narratives in order to tie them all together, and considering it’s been almost a decade since the first one was released it would’ve helped ease into the story. If you loved the first Sin City then there’s plenty to enjoy this time around but if you didn’t like the first one or didn’t see it then you’re more than likely to struggle following this one.