SIN CITY A DAME TO KILL FOR (BUT NOT SADLY A FILM TO)

It’s easy to forget how revolutionary Sin City was when it was released now that motion capture techniques have come to the forefront. Aesthetically the sequel keeps the slick visual style of its predecessor - a particular favourite was villainous Senator Roark towering over a stack of poker chips which double for the skyscrapers of the city he lords it over. The core problem is that whilst the film is visually strong, its substance does not match its style. Like the first film different stories are told throughout, sometimes interconnecting. Unlike the first film none of these stories gel the way they did in the original. They feel far more like episodic stories stitched into a film rather than a larger narrative with different stories. This is a shame because the cast all give good performances, Mickey Rourke’s Marv, who was one of the most popular characters from the first film, feels wasted as a third wheel . Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Johnny, a debonair card shark, is let down by his story’s lacklustre ending. Jessica Alba gives a good performances as Nancy Callahan, considering her character was rather boring first time around (looks aside). One of the biggest casting casualties is the absence of Clive Owen despite the fact that his character Dwight is featured. Finally, at a mere 1 hour 40 minutes, the film feels like it ends way too soon. One has to wonder what has been cut and whether it should have been. Or was it a case of stretching the original too much? All in all the film is entertaining but it lacks the punch of the original and feels like it’s lost something in translation from page to screen. FINAL VERDICT 5/10