SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR

SWITCH: 'SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR' TEASER TRAILER

Mostly ‘A Dame To Kill For’ isn’t a far step away from the original ‘Sin City’, and this is mostly a good thing. For some reason, these films restrain the excess that usually cripples Rodriguez’s films, and together with Frank Miller (the creator of Sin City), crafts a visually sumptuous film, the totally digital world even more detailed than it was nine years ago.

At the same time, its closeness to the original means it never quite steps out from under its shadow - ‘A Dame To Kill For’ suffers to an extent simply by being the second film. It also doesn’t seem to weave its narratives together as effectively, feeling far more episodic this time round. We don’t move between them with the same sense of fluidity that made the experience so giddying the first time round. Separated from its predecessor though, this is still one hell of a film, emphasising the two things this franchise has going for it - the spectacular visuals (Miller’s gorgeous blacks and whites with inspired dashes of colour) and preposterous characters.

Once again, the cast is totally strapped in for the ride, even if the men in the cast never quite hit their stride. Then again, this may just be because they’re up against Eva Green, who totally knocks it out of the ballpark. No-one chews scenery better than Green, and much like her equally stellar turn on ‘300: Rise of an Empire’, her performance as Ava is totally nuts and mesmerising to watch. There’s probably no better actor suited to be in a Sin City film.

Regardless of whether you’re a fan of the original or new to the franchise, you can’t help but be entertained and thrilled by ‘A Dame To Kill For’. Sure, it doesn’t have the same snap as the original and realistically doesn’t offer anything significantly different, but this return to Basin City is a welcome one. A nine year wait might have been pushing it, so if Rodriguez and Miller want to keep this going, they might have to act a bit quicker in the future, but so far Sin City has proven it still has legs, and that it’s far more interesting and original than most other franchises these days.

PICTURE & SOUND
Of course ‘A Dame To Kill For’ looks spectacular in high definition, Icon giving the film a gorgeous 1080p 1.85:1 transfer. The film exists in an almost entirely digital environment, and a heavily stylised one at that, so Blu-ray is a great opportunity to take in the textures, details and (most importantly) the colours of the film. The all-important blacks and whites are balanced beautifully, allowing the other splashes of colour to pop and dazzle. The same can be said for the thunderous DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, making the film as aurally exciting as well as visually. Dialogue, sound and music are expertly balanced so that every detail can be enjoyed. Overall, as good a presentation as you could hope for.

SPECIAL FEATURES
‘A Dame To Kill For’ might not have as spectacular a collection of extras as the first film had, but what we’re offered is still pretty good. The centrepiece is a press conference with the cast and crew mixed with behind-the-scenes footage and additional interviews, which runs for around half an hour. It’s the most candid of the features, Miller in particular discussing his relationship with the series and its adaptation, and with Rodriguez as a collaborator. Rodriguez also discusses how the technology has advanced in the last nine years, and how that has affected the film. There’s also a few perfunctory featurettes on the stunts and make-up, a few character profiles and a fifteen-minute green-screen fly through of the film. For fans, it might not be all you were hoping, but it’s all interesting enough.

Click here to read our 4-star review of 'Sin City: A Dame The Kill For'.

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Competition opens at 6:30pm AEDT on Sunday 25th January 2015 and closes at 11:59 pm AEDT on Sunday 1st February 2015. Five winners will be chosen at random on Monday 2nd February 2015. To successfully win, entrants must fulfil the above entry conditions before the time the competition closes. Current members/followers are eligible to enter the competition. Only one entry per person. Only one winner per household. To be a valid winner, the entrant must not have won a prize from SWITCH within the last 28 days. Each winner will receive one Blu-ray copy of 'Sin City: A Dame The Kill For'. By entering, you agree to receive occasional emails from SWITCH in the future. If you decide to unsubscribe from these updates, any further entries will not be applicable. Only Australian residents are eligible to enter.