WARNING: This Article Contains Spoilers
Everyone’s home town has stories of their own, I’m sure, but none would be as interweaving as those of Basin City and her residents. In 2005, Frank Miller’s graphic novel was brought to our screens by Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino and himself. This was then followed 9 years later by Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, which is not only a sequel but also a prequel to the first and visa versa to some extent. It is also possible, as there is no clear timeline, that ‘A Dame to Kill For’ could also be a sidequel.
Is it a Sequel?
Due to the non-linear timeline of both films, they can almost be described as sequels to each other. The stories involving Marv, John Hartigan and Nancy Callahan are the best examples of this. John and Nancy’s story is the most linear of them all, making ‘A Dame to Kill For’ a sequel to ‘Sin City’ as it follows a timeline spanning at least 12 years. An important thing to note about this part of the story is that when Hartigan visits the farm in order to save Nancy – we see that Kevin, the protégé and accomplice to Cardinal Rourk in Marv’s tale, is still alive, showing that it is set before the following events.
However, our introduction to Marv – following the death of Goldie – in the first film, actually seems to fall towards the end of Nancy and John’s story in the second, causing Sin City to also be a sequel to the later film. Without giving too much away, Marv is framed for Goldie’s death from the outset and decides to go on the warpath to find the true culprit – but it does not end well. He gets to the bottom of it all and discovers, much like Hartigan does when he saves an 11 year old Nancy, that the Rourk family are at the heart of a lot of things that happen in Basin City. He makes discoveries of murder and cannibalism that all lead back to Cardinal Rourk – the brother and uncle to the main two antagonists in the Hartigan/Callahan story. Unfortunately, he is sent down for all the crimes committed by the Cardinal and Kevin, ending with Marv in the electric chair. Even though this story is told in Sin City, by the timeline – it actually falls after he is instrumental in the death of Senator Rourk in ‘A Dame to Kill For’.
We are also given the idea that when Johnny Rourk, bastard son to the Senator of Basin City, runs into Marv upon his return to beat his father at poker once again in ‘A Dame to Kill For’ that it follows the murder of both Cardinal Rourk and Junior as when he tells him he plans to ‘kill a Rourk’ Marv responds with the words ‘The Rourks, they don’t die that easy.’
Is it a prequel?
To answer this question, we would need to take a look at the character Dwight. It is not clear when his sequence of events happens in relation to other characters in the two films but it is easy to see that ‘A Dame to Kill For’ is set before ‘Sin City’ in this instance.
Firstly, I am sure that on first watching of the second film many were confused as to why the actor playing Dwight had been switched from Clive Owen to Josh Brolin but when you watch the films back-to-back (as I have recently), the explanation is simple. Especially after his dealings with Jackie Boy in the first film, Shellie actually states that ‘He was from a while back, before you showed up with that new face of yours’, showing that Clive Owen’s Dwight follows Josh Brolin’s. We also see in ‘A Dame to Kill For’ that Dwight has already had his facial surgery before he returns to Sacred Oaks for the final time ‘My compliments to your surgeon Mr McCarthy. A wonderful transformation, but still have the eyes.’ Additionally, we can see that his story in ‘A Dame to Kill For’ is at least set before Marv and Goldie’s as she is still alive when he arrives in Old Town.
In addition to this, there is an intrinsic character to both parts of Dwight’s story – and that is Manute. Yes, once again he is played by two different actors but this is not for the same reason – it is the same character, just unfortunately Michael Clarke Duncan passed away before he was able to reprise the role. He is the bodyguard to the eponymous Dame and femme fatale, Ava Lord. She seduces Dwight with her beauty and lies, in order for him to murder her husband – but in doing so, he discovers her plot for power. He decides to take revenge and, having previously befriended Marv in an earlier scene, takes him along for the ride. Now comes the important piece. During the action, Marv decides to take on Manute and in besting him takes out his eye. In Sin City, Manute only has the one eye, the other replaced by gold – meaning that the events involving Ava Lord precede those that take place with Jackie Boy.
Possible Sidequel?
It could be coincidence of name, but both Hartigan’s partner in Sin City and Mort’s in ‘A Dame to Kill For’ are both called Bob. Now, this could mean that the majority of Dwight’s story with Ava could be set during Hartigan’s 8 year prison sentence, if they are the same person, and a little after as we know Bob collects Hartigan on the day of his release but we also see Mort kill him for his disrespect of Ava.
The Basin City Sign
The amount this changes between ‘Basin’ and ‘Sin’ throughout both films may give us as viewers some idea of an order to the events that take place. At least three of our main characters pass it, including Hartigan, Marv and Johnny Rourk.
In Sin City, Marv is the first person we see pass the Basin City sign on his way to the Rourk family farm. The ‘BA’ of Basin is already riddled with at least 10 bullet holes – similar to when it is passed in ‘A Dame to Kill For’ by Johnny on his way in to Basin City for the first time. However, when John is taking the same route in order to save Nancy from Rourk Jr, the sign is completely intact, showing that these events happen before the death of Goldie and Marv’s rampage for justice.
