Finally got round to seeing Sin City 2 (had to wait this long because I have been busy at work) and I just had to write a review for it as soon as I could. This will contain some SPOILERS for the film and those who haven't read the graphic novel.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is the nine year waited sequel and is once again directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez and is split in to separate stories where the characters interact with each other across them.
Just Another Saturday Night: This is the opening to the film and is based of one of the Sin City short stories based on the same name. It stars Marv (Mickey Rourke) who tries to recall how he ended in a car wreck just outside of the Projects.
The Long Bad Night: An original story for the film which stars Joseph Gordon Levitt as Johnny, a cocky young gambler who has recently arrived in Basin City. He decides to enter in a very dangerous game of poker with Senator Roarke (Powers Booth) who does not take kindly to losing.
A Dame to Kill For: The main story of the film which stars Josh Brolin as Dwight McCarthy a photographer who wishes to forget his incredibly violent past. However he soon gets a call from his former lover Ava Lord (Eva Green) and is soon thrown back in a world he wanted to leave behind.
Nancy's Last Dance: Another original story which stars Jessica Alba as Nancy Callahan who is still dealing with the loss of John Hartigan (Bruce Willis) and wishes to have her revenge against Senator Roarke whose son terrorized her and Hartigan four years ago.
Just like the first Sin City this film is a near perfect adaption to the graphic novel but what really surprised me was the two original short stories. When I first read about this I wasn't too sure how much I would like it because I much prefer when adaptions follow their source material but when it doesn't it has to be just as good. An example of it done right is Game of Thrones; the majority of is straight out of the book while original stuff for the show is short and doesn't take away from the main plot e.g. the subplots with original character Ros, torture of Theon, Stannis going to Bravos for a loan etc. However examples of when it is done wrong is The Walking Dead (whole episodes are given over to long and boring original material and there are some dramatic changes to characters) and the ending to Watchmen (rest of the film is great but I really, really wished they kept the ending from the graphic novel).
So is The Long Bad Night and Nancy's Last Dance just as good as the Sin City graphic novel stories? The answer is yes! Nancy's Last Dance didn't have too much to worry about any way because it is a sequel to That Yellow Bastard but The Long Bad Night almost stole this entire film, for me it ties with A Dame to Kill For. The main reason for this is Joseph Gordon Levitt as Johnny; I admit I haven't seen much of him in other works (I know him best from Dark Knight Rises) but he was witty, charismatic and an all round well thought out original character who truly belonged in this film.
We also have many returning characters such as Marv, who is like the figure head for Sin City at this point and should be in every film, Nancy, Gail, Hartigan etc., however we also have several re casts as well with the characters Manute and Miho. Normally really do not like re casting characters in film and TV series however for Sin City 2 I will make an exception because for Miho, Devon Aoki was pregnant and couldn't act and Jamie Chung gave a great performance. As for Manute, Michael Clarke Duncan unfortunately died before production however Dennis Haysbert was a perfect choice for re cast because he is just a imposing and menacing for the role. We also have Josh Brolin for a re casted Dwight and he was great as the character too, he really looked like pre - facial surgery Dwight! I am also glad that Powers Booth returns as Senator Roarke because, as I mentioned in my review of the first film, he was underused but he is back as the main villain for two stories and I a glad for that.
However a stand out performance (just as good as Joseph Gordon Levitt) was Eva Green as Ava Lord. I have seen Eva Green in quite a few roles but this has got to be my favourite because she was just so sexy in this role. She also had no problems with a lot of sex and nudity (unlike Jessica Alba who is the stripper who doesn't strip) which is a plus for this role because anyone who read the graphic novels know that Ava uses sex as her main weapon. She is also manipulate and deadly, so hats off to Eva Green for her performance.
As for Jessica Alba I have always been unsure if she was the right choice for Nancy and that is because I didn't think she was committed enough for the role. I am not trying to be sexist in constantly saying she should "take it off" and not all films have to have nudity but in this 18 film full of violence, swearing and nudity and she is cast as a stripper, I just wished she showed more skin (her dancing was a lot better though). Eva Green seemed to have no problem with it so I just wish Jessica Alba didn't, however I must admit that the last part of her story really makes up for it. She undergoes a badass transformation and kicks some ass so they gave her that much at least.
Personally I really liked this film so much that I am not sure what I can criticize it for but if I had to not pick it would probably be that it is a lot more fast paced and rushed than I would have thought. An example of this is the subplot with Mort and Bob; that was over and done with so fast that it was a shame because in the graphic novel their investigation is in a lot more detail.
Overall this film is a perfect squeal to a great graphic novel adaption but it was a shame that we had to wait so long for it. I have read that this film has received mixed reviews so far because of the poor marketing and long wait but I think everything about this is just great and is an awesome watch. Fans of the first film will enjoy this and I really hope there is a third film based on Hell and Back!
SCORE: 9/10
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