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IMDbPro

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

  • 2014
  • R
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
175K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,252
231
Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Josh Brolin, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Eva Green in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)
The town's most hard-boiled citizens cross paths with some of its more reviled inhabitants.
Play trailer2:23
43 Videos
99+ Photos
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Some of Sin City's most hard-boiled citizens cross paths with a few of its more reviled inhabitants.Some of Sin City's most hard-boiled citizens cross paths with a few of its more reviled inhabitants.Some of Sin City's most hard-boiled citizens cross paths with a few of its more reviled inhabitants.

  • Directors
    • Frank Miller
    • Robert Rodriguez
  • Writer
    • Frank Miller
  • Stars
    • Mickey Rourke
    • Jessica Alba
    • Josh Brolin
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    175K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,252
    231
    • Directors
      • Frank Miller
      • Robert Rodriguez
    • Writer
      • Frank Miller
    • Stars
      • Mickey Rourke
      • Jessica Alba
      • Josh Brolin
    • 298User reviews
    • 328Critic reviews
    • 46Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 6 nominations total

    Videos43

    Red Band Trailer
    Trailer 3:23
    Red Band Trailer
    Trailer #2
    Trailer 2:23
    Trailer #2
    Trailer #2
    Trailer 2:23
    Trailer #2
    Trailer #1
    Trailer 1:02
    Trailer #1
    Trailer #1
    Trailer 1:21
    Trailer #1
    Exclusive Clip
    Clip 0:26
    Exclusive Clip
    "Jessica Alba"
    Clip 0:34
    "Jessica Alba"

    Photos235

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    + 231
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    Top cast85

    Edit
    Mickey Rourke
    Mickey Rourke
    • Marv
    Jessica Alba
    Jessica Alba
    • Nancy
    Josh Brolin
    Josh Brolin
    • Dwight
    Joseph Gordon-Levitt
    Joseph Gordon-Levitt
    • Johnny
    Rosario Dawson
    Rosario Dawson
    • Gail
    Bruce Willis
    Bruce Willis
    • Hartigan
    Eva Green
    Eva Green
    • Ava
    Powers Boothe
    Powers Boothe
    • Senator Roark
    Dennis Haysbert
    Dennis Haysbert
    • Manute
    Ray Liotta
    Ray Liotta
    • Joey
    Christopher Meloni
    Christopher Meloni
    • Mort
    Jeremy Piven
    Jeremy Piven
    • Bob
    Christopher Lloyd
    Christopher Lloyd
    • Kroenig
    Jaime King
    Jaime King
    • Goldie…
    Juno Temple
    Juno Temple
    • Sally
    Stacy Keach
    Stacy Keach
    • Wallenquist
    Marton Csokas
    Marton Csokas
    • Damien Lord
    Jude Ciccolella
    Jude Ciccolella
    • Lt. Liebowitz
    • Directors
      • Frank Miller
      • Robert Rodriguez
    • Writer
      • Frank Miller
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews298

    6.5175K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    7Vartiainen

    Unfortunately they used all the best stories in the first one

    Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is not a bad idea on paper. Frank Miller's Sin City universe is a rich and interesting setting, and as the first Sin City film proved, it translates to the silver screen beautifully. Unfortunately they decided to stick all the best stories into the first film, thus guaranteeing its success, but leaving the possible sequel without much material to use. Not that the stories used here are bad, they're just not as great as the ones used in the first one. Tellingly Miller was actually called back to write two new stories exclusively for the film. It shows.

    However, there is one exception. The story named A Dame to Kill For. Considered to be one of the better stories in the original comic books, it's a good thing they still had one such story to wrap their movie around. And it is awesome. Just as good as the stories in the original film with same great quality acting, hardcore action and brutal visuals. No complaints.

    The second adaptation story, Just Another Saturday Night, is really nothing more than an Ode to Marv (Mickey Rourke), and that's okay in my books. It doesn't have much of a plot, and the supporting characters are nonexistent, but it's a good opening piece.

    The Long Bad Night, the first of the new stories, works because of its actors. Both Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Powers Boothe have amazing screen presence and as they're pitted against one another throughout the night the stakes keep getting higher and higher, with satisfying results. A fine story and I could see this as an original Sin City story.

    Nancy's Last Dance, our last story, is unfortunately the weakest story by far. They clearly wanted to give Jessica Alba something more to chew with her character, but it just doesn't have that edge. You don't buy it. Still not awful, merely average.

    Aside from the material, the biggest problem is the common sequel problem where they want to do the same that worked so well in the original, but with more oomph. Here it means more colour spliced into the black-n-white, and it's very distracting. The original used colour carefully, for emphasis, for popping up important details. Here it seems that every single frame has a splotch of colour in it, usually for no reason, they just wanted colour in their frames. And thus the distinct visual style of Sin City is shattered.

    All in all Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is not a bad film by any means. It's disappointing, certainly, but only because I love the first film so much, and wanted more of that greatness, no matter how impossible it is to achieve. Still, a great movie to check out if you're a fan, but don't expect miracles.
    7fernandoschiavi

    The narrative lacks rhytim, but it's always great to walk the streets of Sin City and not know what to expect around every corner

    Nine years after visually reinventing and presenting a new form of filming, directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller are reunited to adapt the graphic novel 'A Dame to Kill For' and also bringing elements of 'Just Another Saturday Night', a tale taken from Booze, Broads, & Bullets, sixth volume in the comic book series. Two stories are unpublished: 'The Long Bad Night' and 'Nancy's Last Dance'. Most of the cast returned to this sequence. Josh Brolin takes on the role of Dwight in Sin City 2, originally played by Clive Owen and Ava Lord, the title's Dame to Kill For - a role originally thought for Angelina Jolie - was played by Eva Green.

    After the death of John Hartigan (Bruce Willis), Nancy Callahan (Jessica Alba) thinks only of revenge. She spends her nights dancing in the same bar, but now in the company of a bottle of drink, while taking courage to face the powerful Senator Roark (Powers Boothe). At the same time, Dwight (Josh Brolin) tries to help the enigmatic Ava (Eva Green) only to find himself betrayed once again by this fatal lady. Virtually destroyed, he will seek the help of Gail (Rosario Dawson) and his gang to face the beloved, while Nancy will have the support of Marv (Mickey Rourke).

    Just as it was in the first film, this new journey through Sin City maintains the structure adopted in the comics and is composed of small stories that are told in parallel and without worrying about chronology - that is why Marv (Mickey Rourke) is there. return. The script seeks to divide the story again into three main plots, trying to maintain continuity with the events of the previous film. The big problem with this sequence is that the directors create an evident problem of rhythm, putting the climax practically in the middle of the work. The main narrative arc, which gives the film its name, is resolved quickly, when it could have been fragmented and interspersed with the other stories. The end result sounds like a great collection that does not necessarily follow a line of reasoning.

    The short story that gives title to the film, 'The Dame to Kill For' is one of them and shows Dwight McCarthy who tries to forget his violent past, working as a private detective and leading a sober life. After saving the life of con artist Sally (Juno Temple) from being killed by businessman Joey (Ray Liotta), he receives a call from ex-lover Ava Lord, who had abandoned him four years earlier to be with a wealthy tycoon, Damian Lord (Marton Csokas). Ava Lord is a woman who, when she touches a man's heart, becomes her greatest desire. A predator that usually destroys lives, sometimes for power, sometimes for profit and sometimes for sport. Ava Lord knows this and uses her sex appeal to get everything she wants from men.

    The directors and the beautiful Eva Green manage to impress the scenes with sensuality, a factor amplified by the plans in which we see her portrayed as a goddess surrounded by a whole mystical atmosphere. But there will certainly be a lot of people in the cinema who will see just one more macho movie there, wanting to boycott the work, after all, nowadays if any material produced does not fit the politically correct, that is, a censorship endorsed by the majority of the artistic class worldwide, it is doomed to fail, at least by critics. This segment is, without a doubt, the most involving plot of the work and manages to keep us immersed and curious waiting for its conclusion. It is interesting the mystery that was built at the beginning, in which we did not know whether Ava was telling the truth or not. Ava's nature is built slowly by the work and is revealed to be harmful with the passing of minutes. The controlled use of color is present in the eyes and lips of the seductress. Afterwards, the viewer is anxious for Dwight's revenge with the help of Gail (Rosario Dawson) and the Old Town prostitutes. We see a plethora of knives piercing brains, swords severing heads and a lot of digital blood in the best 'Sin City' style.

    The segment 'The Long Bad Night' is one of the unpublished stories written by Miller especially for the film and that brings Johnny (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a mysterious young man who decides to show his poker talent at a table full of influential and dangerous people . In this plot we learn that Johnny has a personal difference with Senator Roark (Powers Boothe). This plot proves to be very interesting, but its outcome leaves something to be desired, making us wonder why Miller simply does not use the original material, instead of creating this new arc that starts well, but fails for repetition in its closure.

    'Nancy's Last Dance' shows Nancy Callahan suffering from deep depression over the death of John Hartigan, four years earlier. She is obsessed with getting revenge on Senator Roark, until with Marv's help, she invades the senator's house to kill him and to realize her revenge. Nancy's bow is interesting and is what closes the film, while still being interesting, even if predictable. Chosen to defend a plot of bitterness and revenge, all Jessica Alba can do is to force a face of suffering while babbling her dialogues. Still, we have excellent scenes in the mansion invasion and even in the final confrontation with Senator Roark.

    Time was one of the great enemies of The Dame to Kill For. The sequel happened too late to accompany the commotion generated by the first film, and too soon we tried to use nostalgia to its advantage. In addition, Rank Miller's script is simply unable to fill all the stories with enough content. They are fast, empty and pale before the central plot. 'Sin City, A Dame to Kill For brings us everything we love about the first one as fun dialogues, full of catch phrases, neo-noir mixed with graphic violence. Everything follows the same pattern. It is more of the same, with the difference that in this case the narrative lacks rhythm, as previously said, and the three stories are connected in some way, but they seem to be stories played at random many times. There are also no memorable and shocking scenes as in the first, perhaps due to the public being more accustomed to this type of violence in other productions in recent years.

    Obviously the technical part is once again impeccable, as well as the direction, but it no longer brings innovations. It is certainly a story that will please fans of comics, since again it is an almost literal transposition of the dialogues of comics to the cinema and fulfills its role of amusement. However, for the vast majority of the audience, those behind a consistent plot, characters with whom it is possible to root and get involved, the conclusion is somewhat frustrating. Either way, it's always great to walk the streets of Sin City and not know what to expect around every corner.
    7Frogfisher

    Good and entertaining... but lacks the novelty of the first.

    A Dame to Kill for is by no means a boring or bad film. It succeeds as a satisfying sequel to the far more novel and perhaps stronger Sin City... it is bloody, violent, beautifully made, with cool deep voices, nudity and clearly fitting into the film noir genre. Where it falls short is in the charactersationssliding a bit, the strength of two original stories, the change in actors and the gap between the first and second film. There is also a desperate need for more iconic moments which the Sin City comics and the film has plenty of, but they never really come in A Dame to Kill for.

    The characters seems less edgy, less strong charactered and some despite being far more stereotypical carries less of a punch. Especially Marv and Dwight who are the central characters fall a bit short. With Dwight almost feeling detached from the story he is the centre character of. I never thought I would find myself ever thinking that Owen over Brolin. Rourke however seems to have lost some of his edge again, but still causes plenty of mayhem. The new original story lines is probably as good as the rest, but it feels like we never get a very satisfying end out the first one of it especially because it plays as probably the most straightforward story with less of the iconic art work or stunning scenes put in it, it relies on Gordon-Hevitt's abilities more than anything else. The second original story however fairs better mostly due to Alba's dancing and Rourke's brute. If one has not recently seen Sin City and goes to see this it can be a bit hard putting things into place in it's sequel... most people benefit from having seen Sin City recently in order to truly enjoy the film's anachronistic narrative.

    It is an awesome film, I will not argue against that, and it does give people more of what they want from Sin City. And there is maybe couple of camels to swallow. But I think in time when seen in union with it's predecessor and sequel(s) it will come out stronger than it might appear now.

    I saw the 3D version and surprisingly it actually works well for the film, although I am sure the film would be just as good in 2D alone. It is worth seeing in the cinema, it has the scale/action/importance and beauty to justify that. It will not be remembered for it's visuals as much as Sin City, but it will be recognised for how it fits into the Sin City style.
    4utgard14

    Poor Sequel

    Sin City was one of my favorite movies of the 2000s. A fun, creative film noir cartoon with unique visuals and a style all its own. The first problem you run into with this sequel is that it offers nothing new. It's a stylistic retread of the first movie, only less impressive. The visuals copy the first movie but somehow seem cheaper. The makeup effects aren't as good either, with Marv's jaw easily twice the size of the last movie. The action is weaker, with no memorable sequences and a final showdown that is derivative of the first movie. The other big problem is that the writing is very poor this time and the stories don't flow well together. The Dwight story is lame. The Johnny story is pointless. The Nancy story is impossible to take seriously, especially the ghost parts. Sadly, this movie is boring, listless, and disjointed. It's a movie that didn't need to be made. Still, it's always nice to see Eva Green naked. That's something that never gets old.
    6Rickting

    Sin City 2 lacks punch but still offers gritty, visually stunning comic book fun

    After 9 years Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller finally made a sequel to their masterpiece from 2005, Sin City, and.... no-one went to see it. One of 2014's biggest and definitely the most surprising box office bomb, critics were also fairly unkind to the film. It's not as bad as some say it is, but it's best summed up as this: The Kick-Ass 2 of 2014. An enjoyable sequel which lacks the original's impact and misses the point, and struggles to hit a peak when the scene stealer from the first is off screen. In Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, we return to the nastiest, darkest and grittiest city in comic book movies for more brutal stories of justice, sin and moral corruption. In one Marv becomes an amnesiac, in another a cocky gambler finds himself in trouble when he beats the wrong man at poker, in another Nancy Callahan takes revenge on the man who caused the death of John Hartigan and another involves Dwight's encounter with a mysterious femme fatale played by Eva Green. What's noticeable about these stories? They emphasize action and that wasn't the point of the first.

    Sin City was a great film because of its emotional power and characterisation. Here, mostly we're getting black and white shapes beating each other up like some generic beat em up flash game with little subtlety or grace. The script sags in places and the film refuses to focus on developing its characters or some sort of emotional impact. It never goes into unwatchable territory, but it's just curiously flat some of the time and it's hard to understand why. All you know is you'd rather be watching the first movie. It's still visually mind blowing and has some beautiful shots. It's well acted by its ensemble cast with Mickey Rourke and Eva Green being the standouts. There are many different voice overs but the film manages never to feel pretentious. You'll likely find yourself moderately enjoying it throughout without ever being particularly interested in what's happening. It's pretty safe to say Sin City 3 will not be happening after this, but the legacy of the original has not been tarnished.

    6/10

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The lead role was originally offered to Johnny Depp, but he declined due to scheduling conflicts. Joseph Gordon-Levitt later replaced him, despite offers to star in other movies such as Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Godzilla (2014). In 2006 when Rodriguez first started putting together ideas for "Sin City 2," he considered Depp for the part of Wallace, the lead character of "Hell and Back," which he was hoping to adapt as one of the film's three segments. The idea to adapt "Hell and Back" was scrapped, however, and Rodriguez chose to adapt "Just Another Saturday Night," "A Dame to Kill For," and the never-published "The Long, Bad Night" instead.
    • Goofs
      Nancy states that in the first Sin City (2005), Hartigan killed himself by sticking a gun in his mouth and shooting. He actually shot himself in the forehead.
    • Quotes

      [from trailer]

      Johnny: Sin City's where you go in with your eyes open, or you don't come out at all.

    • Crazy credits
      Robert Rodriguez's credit for cinematography and editing is displayed as "Shot and cut by Robert Rodriguez".
    • Connections
      Edited into Sin City: A Dame to Kill - All Green Screen High-Speed Version (2014)
    • Soundtracks
      Skin City
      Written by Robert Rodriguez

      Performed by Steven Tyler

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    FAQ29

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    • Wasn't Becky supposed to be in this?
    • Wasn't Johnny Depp supposed to be in this? What about Antonio Banderas?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 22, 2014 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Sin City 2: una dama por la cual mataría
    • Filming locations
      • New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
    • Production companies
      • Aldamisa Entertainment
      • Demarest Films
      • Dimension Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $65,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $13,757,804
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $6,317,683
      • Aug 24, 2014
    • Gross worldwide
      • $39,407,616
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 42 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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