When the Cheshire emerges...

Sin City: A Dame To Kill For (MA 15+)

A SEQUEL that arrives nearly 10 years after the original is not generally one expecting high anticipation. The decision to continue a story in modern Hollywood is largely driven by financial risk and whether there is material at the ready to adapt.

In the case of the Sin City graphic novels, there's enough material to make a good six or seven films. Frank Miller's dark dystopian world is a brutal look at the violence within human nature and our desires to exploit it while wanting to maintain control of our animalistic instincts.

The first, based on three of the novels, was stylised onto the screen from the books almost seamlessly using technology barely experimented with before. It was confronting in its violence, but faithful to the original story.

The second of those follows suit with the same stylisation that makes this material stand out from others of the like. Based primarily on A Dame To Kill For, it has a more narrow focus on characters and storylines than its predecessor.

It comes as no surprise that in developing the script and devising new material for this film, Miller and director Robert Rodriguez made a conscious effort to evolve Nancy's character for Jessica Alba. Her reprise is in one of two storylines devised specifically to sit alongside the titular events, where she is still seeking revenge on Senator Roark (Powers Boothe) for Hartigan's (Bruce Willis) death, having turned into an unstable drunk.

Another chasing Roark is Johnny (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a winner who doesn't know when to stay humble. Not far away is Dwight (Josh Brolin), who is bewitched by former lover Ava (Eva Green) when she walks back into his life with plans of her own.

Manipulative would best describe the bulk of this offering, with deception also playing an important role. The dog-eat-dog world doesn't let anyone or anything stand in its way, and forever at the centre of this is Marv (Mickey Rourke). His presence throughout most of the intertwining plots is threatening, looking for trouble and easily finding it.

Rourke brings a solid performance, as do Alba, Willis and Boothe in their reprised roles. Gordon-Levitt places himself nicely into the fold, managing to face more than one sticky situation. As for the dame, Eva Green's Ava is a dramatic bitch – frustrating in the right ways as no one can see what she manages to pull off thanks to her charm.

The cast and visual style remain solid, but the story lacks the violent impact this city's characters gave us nine years ago. Spilt blood is still very much there but it's more talky than its predecessor, in turn reducing the strength of the violence. But while a nine-year wait has been excessive for fans of the novels and first film, there's still enough to like.

Rating: 3/5

To be published in the Darwin Sun on Wednesday 24/9/2014.
MISSED LAST WEEK'S REVIEW? See what I thought of The Maze Runner.