Sin City: A Dame To Kill For

4 Stars (out of four)

So, full disclosure first.  I have been a fan of Frank Miller's Sin City comics since 1990.  It's groundbreaking art, raw subject matter and retroactive storytelling conventions always made for an entertaining yarn.  This particular story, A Dame To Kill For was the second in this series, and in my opinion, the best of all of them.  The Hard Goodbye, the first in the series that introduced us to Marv formed the basis for the first movie, always left me a bit off.  But this story was hardboiled noir in the vein of Dasheill Hammett and Raymond Chandler.  The femme fatale in the truest sense, the sap, and the revenge, all elements of great American storytelling.  So I went into this film with very high expectations, and it was not disappointed.

This is similar to the first Sin City, with multiple stories and many of the same characters returning to us.  Two were previously written for the comics and one is new for the movies.  I cannot stress enough that however much I loved the movie, it is definitely not for all tastes.  The movie is much more graphic in both the violence and sex, and can be very off-putting for those of more puritanical tastes.  So fair warning, if you can't abide fairly graphic nude and sex scenes, this movie is definitely not for you and you should quit reading right now.  After all, this movie's controversy started over the MOAA banning the original poster of the movie until it was edited to a more chaste version.  See below:

Apparently, the MPAA has no problem with the ultraviolent aspects of the film (beheadins, mutilations, torture), but show a female boob and there are protests everywhere.  I have seen no less than three articles in the last week from star Eva Green regarding her nudity in the film, and several more in the last few months regarding the poster above.  I guess people must have missed the big, fat "R" rating it got and are afraid children will be corrupted by it.  But my argument is this, if you don't want children watching it, don't let them.  This is an adult film made for adult audiences, and while many may disagree with me, the nudity is not gratuitous.  This is one example of a defining aspect of a character, a femme fatale who preys on men to do her dirty work for her.  This is not a new story.  The great noir films Double Indemnity, The Last Seduction, Basic Instinct, Body Heat and Wild Things all feature female predators who prey on saps to further their nefarious aims.

There is not a bad performance in this bunch.  They all project the mood of the filth of BaSIN City, the fictional town that looks like an amalgam of the worst aspects of New York, Las Vegas and LA.  Two major changes are Dennis Haysbert playing Manute, the role the late, great Michael Clarke Duncan played in the original.  His height, large build and deep voice help him seamlessly slip into the role.  The more obvious change was the replacement for Dwight played by Clive Owen in the original.  Now he is played by Josh Brolin, who is a thousand times better.  I always thought Owen was an almost fatal bit of flawed casting in the original.  Thankfully, that mistake was rectified here.  Much has been made of the stilted dialog and actors, particularly Jessica Alba, who are chewing the scenery with everything they got.  My response to that is that it is noir, people don't really talk like that anymore, but it sets an undeniable atmosphere.  As for the acting, this film and stories are supposed to be hyper-stylized,thus the slight unreality of the non-naturalistic acting fits in perfectly.

The film is also another triumph of design, bringing the printed page to life.  They even used it in the advertising:

In fact, the advertising is just as interesting as the movies in setting tone and expectations.  A few examples below:

I have loved both versions' very effective use of the blending of the hyper-stylization with the real, to give an otherworldly effect to the movie.  Aside from artistic choices, it throws you off by introducing an unreal world that doesn't feel right and thus makes you uncomfortable unconsciously.  This is unlike any world we are grounded in, so the events seem more bizarre, more off-kilter and more off-putting if the co-directors of Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller would have played it straight.  In fact, this whole movie is an exercise in the excess of these two men, so much so they even have their own individual posters:

While it seems a bit indulgent (even Steven Speilberg stays behind the scenes), for some reason, it just feels right.  Again, I cannot stress enough how this is not a film for kids or those of conservative tastes.  I guarantee you there is something in here that will offend most anyone.  But it is undeniably sexy, smooth, exciting, and yes, entertaining if you go in with the correct mindset.  I loved every minute of it and wished it could be an hour longer.  Unfortunately, it looks like it was a bit of a flop and we may never see another.  But that is what we thought after the first one, which was a minor hit.  Please, Mr. Rodriguez, please make another.  They are so good and I am always willing to take a trip down the dark alleys of Basin City.