​FILMS

sin city: A dame to kill for

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (Action/Thriller): 65 out of 100: Mainly shot in black and white with splashes of colour to represent such features as blood, hair and lips, this belated sequel to "Sin City" from 2005 is a definite case of style over substance. The first film was highly original and entertaining but this sequel pales in comparison.

With so much violence and gratuitous nudity throughout the film, the viewer becomes desensitised by what happens on the screen. There is an all-star cast but most of the actors don't receive enough screen time due to the underdeveloped stories which leaves the character development underutilised. The narration from several characters is a little annoying at times too for they speak in monotone voices.

The stories deal with corruption, double crossing, murder, mayhem, voluptuous vixens, vengeance, extramarital sex and affairs, and just about every other sin you can think of. One just wishes that these themes were covered in more depth and not just glossed over. This film is a case of being too short and an extra 20 minutes would have further developed the stories and characterisations.

The cool, atmospheric music score helps move the action along. Although there's a fair bit of gratuitous violence, they are edited with skill and panache.

This sequel hasn't performed well at the US box office which could be attributed to the fact that audiences have seen this type of movie before made bigger and better in the 2005 original.

Starring Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosario Dawson and Bruce Willis
(102 minutes)
Parental advice: Strong violence, nudity and sex scenes
Additional scene during or after credits: No
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iFdPcx0W2w (Movie trailer)

 

(Reviewed on Thursday 18th September, 2014)