Reel Facts & Opinions: Everything You Need To Know About SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR

 

In 2005, director Robert Rodriguez teamed up with comic-artist and writer Frank Miller to bring Miller’s own SIN CITY comic to the big screen. Fast-forward nine years later and the follow-up is finally here. Here is everything you need to know about SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR.

What is this about? – A DAME TO KILL FOR serves as a prequel and a sequel with interlinking stories taking place before and after the first film.

Who’s behind this? – Robert Rodriquez (FROM DUSK TIL DAWN, MACHETE), returns to direct. Frank Miller, who wrote the SIN CITY comics and is mostly known for his popular Batman story THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, gets credit as a co-director and wrote the screenplay.

Who’s in this? -  Like SIN CITY, the sequel is packed tight with stars. The returning cast includes Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Jaime King, Jude Ciccolella, Powers Booth, Mickey Rourke, and Bruce Willis. Newcomers include Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Brolin, Jamie Chung, Dennis Haysbert, Marton Csokas, Christopher Lloyd, Juno Temple, Ray Liotta, Stacy Keach, Christopher Meloni, Jeremy Piven, Eva Green, and Lady Gaga.

Any interesting facts? – A DAME TO KILL FOR is based on four original Frank Miller stories, two of which were written exclusively for the film and have not seen the comic pages. * Devon Aoki could not reprise her role due to pregnancy, and was replaced by Jamie Chung. * Dennis Haysbert (the Allstate guy, and Pedro from MAJOR LEAGUE), replaced Michael Clarke Duncan, who was set to reprise his role but died before filming. * Josh Brolin plays the role of Dwight, which was held down by Clive Owen in the first film. In that first film, a reference is made about Dwight having a “new face”. * Jeremy Piven, who is best known for his role in the TV series ENTOURAGE, replaces Michael Madsen. * Two original cast members have died since SIN CITY; Michael Clarke-Duncan and Brittany Murphy,

What to expect? – The first film was saturated in the old noir-style, and was certainly a visual stunner. That, and its episodic nature can be expected again. With A DAME TO KILL FOR looping back to events before the first movie (and maybe even during), it would probably be a good idea to screen SIN CITY again before seeing this or else confusion may enter the experience. The ensemble cast is a big selling point, as everyone would have at least one favorite actor or actress in there. One interesting fact here is that A DAME TO KILL FOR is short; only 102 minutes (that’s one hour and forty-two minutes). The first SIN CITY was 124 minutes (you do the goddamn math). This may be a good thing, as the first film was lightly criticized for having a little too much fat. Perhaps Rodriquez and Miller have learned their lessons, and are ready to give us a movie to kill for.

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SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR opens August 22^nd.