Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

A sequel or prequel or interquel—whatever you wanna call it, SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR lacks the ambition, charisma and intensity of its groundbreaking 2005 predecessor. Is the poor reception of this follow-up the lack of interest after a nine-year gap, or does it have something to do with the overall quality? It could all be a matter of perception, but one can't deny that the recasts of some characters (particularly Bob and Miho; Manute is understandable, obviously, given the passing of Michael Clarke Duncan) and the unnecessary absence of others (particularly Becky; Shellie, again, is understandable given the passing of Brittany Murphy) contribute to the feeling that this may be a movie that was never meant to be. The titular "yarn" is not bad, but may have been more fitting if it has been included in the first film, and "The Big Fat Kill" moved to the second film. "Just Another Saturday Night" (a reference to the song?) is a good opener; while Powers Boothe and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are incredibly fun to watch gambling (for not just money, but also for pride, power and life) in the non-adapted original "The Long Bad Night"; unfortunately, "Nancy's Last Dance" lacks the satisfaction it intends because it merges too much with "Long Bad Night", and it raises the question of why there is being so much closure when many of the SIN CITY stories have yet to be brought to screen.