Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

A sequel to Robert Rodriguez's seminal greenscreen noir Sin City has been in the works ever since it became a surprise 2005 hit, yet the slapdash A Dame to Kill For feels like it was knocked out in Rodriguez's basement over a three-day weekend. Once again, it's based on Frank Miller's Dark Horse comic-book universe, and Miller is also credited with the film's script and co-direction, so perhaps it's no surprise that this Sin City more closely resembles Miller's awful 2008 film The Spirit. Of course, it's also a sign of how little Rodriguez cares that he can't even rip himself off with conviction. All the moral ambiguity, sexual depravity and outlandish style of the first Sin City has been boiled down into a flavorless gruel of tacky hard-boiled dialogue and self-conscious posturing, and only a lusty Eva Green keeps the film from flatlining.