Dark City (1998)

Undescribable Perfection

Pretty Good

Good concept, poorly executed.

best movie i've ever seen.

It feels like there was too much edited out of this movie, that doesn't mean that I didn't like it, well told story, should have been longer, nice acting, music, dialogue, well directed.

It's hard to imagine the classic 1999 film 'The Matrix' starring Rufus Sewell in the lead, fighting an evil Agent played by a pasty bald Richard O'Brian. Yet, believe it or not, there is an 'early version' of the film that's just like that. 'Dark City' was released only one year earlier and it's basically the same premise, only it never achieved such greatness or Box Office success. But don't let that put you off.I love 'The Matrix.' It's very cool and you can't help but be wowed by the cyber-tech and, back then, the 'bullet-time' special effects were revolutionary for their day. Plus you had the highly-bankable Keanu Reeves in the lead and, no matter how wooden his performance, we all love to watch him. Therefore, 'The Matrix' just seemed to hit all the right notes at the right time (don't get me started on the sequels - that's a whole other story!). 'Dark City' didn't really have any of that. Rufus Sewell is a competent leading man, but you get the feeling that his part could have been played by any good looking guy, the same goes for his love interest Jennifer Connolly. It also doesn't have special effects that will make you think that you've never seen anything like that before. It's leads are competent, as are what effects the film utilises (nowadays I see a precursor to 'Inception' in there, too). It's dark (as the title suggests) and Gothic, portraying the film as a sombre and depressing affair, as opposed to 'The Matrix's' high-tech and uber-coolness. Therefore, 'Dark City' doesn't look or sound like anything that original. However, if you don't dwell on any of that (or just haven't seen 'The Matrix' - there must be a couple of you out there!) then this is really something pretty special.Yes, the film is quite (and I hate to keep using this word, but there really isn't any other that sums it up) 'dark.' It is certainly not a 'feel-good' film, but where it really succeeds is its sheer concept. Rufus Sewell wakes up in a flat with no memory of who he is. The only thing he knows is that there's a dead body in the apartment and it looks very much like he's the killer. Therefore, he sets out to find out who he is and whether he did it. Now, along the way he discovers that it's not just him who has a dark (there's that word again) past, but also his whole world. And that brings me nicely on to the baddies of the film - the 'Strangers.' Instead of 'The Matrix's' 'agents' you have a horde of black-trenchcoat-clad bald men with pasty faces hell-bent on thwarting our hero's efforts at every turn. And they really are great. Whether it's the fact that they refer to each other by weird noun-like names, i.e. 'Mr Hand' and 'Mr Foot,' or its' because they have one little boy-version of themselves who is just downright creepy (and don't get me started on their 'powers'). All in all, they're some of the best movie-villains ever created.If you like your sci-fi 'action-packed' and full of explosions and battles then you probably won't really enjoy this. I love it, but I don't watch it often - that's because you really need to be in the mood to sit down and watch quite a thoughtful film that really gets under your skin. There are some small fist-fights and superpowered skirmishes just in case you're wondering and I'm glad it seems that this film has found its own place in the world with a dedicated cult following. However, it will always be overshadowed by 'The Matrix,' but I believe that 'Dark City' is different and special enough to warrant its own place in your collection alongside Keanu trilogy.

There's no doubting the imagination of Alex Proyas. Though most of Dark City is difficult to follow and is more style than substance, once the kick of the film finally happens, you realize how inventive and inspirational this film is to the science fiction genre. When push comes to shove, Dark City ranks among the weirdest and most unique sci-fi features to date.Knowing close to nothing going in was a wise choice, but I did find myself saying "what in the world is going on?" several times. The story follows a man named John Murdoch who finds himself alone in a bathtub with no memory of who he is or where he's been. Murdoch is being hunted by both law enforcement and a mysterious group of people, known as 'The Strangers' with unknown powers and abilities. In some ways, Dark City makes for a good compilation of films like The Matrix, Minority Report, Blade Runner, and even Metropolis. For much of the film Murdoch is the audience. We have no idea where we are, who's good, who's bad, and where this all ends up. But once Murdoch starts to understand 'The Strangers' agendas, the film starts to take off.The supporting cast includes William Hurt, Jennifer Connelly, and Kiefer Sutherland. Similar to how I feel about the movie overall, I didn't really care for any of the characters in particular until you understand the context of how the film is being played out. Sutherland has the most to do, but his performance is diluted to a quick breathing nerdy doctor. I think as a whole Dark City will play better on repeated viewings. Especially because it will become more and more apparent just how many films have taken from Dark City. Proyas has made a few interesting directing choices since this one, but none quite capture the scope or uniqueness of Dark City. In the long-running genre of science fiction, Proyas' breakout film is definitely among the better ones.+Noir elements+Mystery plays out nicely+Gets better as it goes along-Could have opened up with more context8.7/10

Dark City is one of the greatest cinematic gems ever made, incredibly original, creative, philosophical and thought-provoking.The visuals are beyond amazing and it's safe to say that this is at least the most beautiful movie of the 90's. The cinematography, goes hand in hand with the strange set-design, and the gloomy lighting. You can pause nearly every second of this film, take a picture and pin it to your wall...But it's not just the look, it's also the content that's amazing, Dark City tells a story about...well i don't wanna spoiler that, you have to watch it.I mean it's worth your time for Trevor Jones incredible soundtrack alone, every piece of music in this film is great and fits the style perfectly (even Trevor Jones seems to have the own opinion that this is his greatest work, or why did he copied nearly every track for the movie Desperate Measures?) Even the editing has something special, mostly at the start of the film, there is a cut nearly every two seconds, but it's not too fast, it's so that we feel as if we where in the same situation as our protagonist.The characters are also very good, which has to be expected in a movie with that kind of theme. Rufus Sewell is great, same for Jennifer Connelly, William Hurt and especially Richard o'Brien (wo's voice and movement are incredible) and Kiefer Sutherland in his best role to date, i forget nearly every time that he is Dr. Paul Schreber, that's how good he is.I always say people who never heard of this film, to imagine a mosaic, and you get one little stone at a time until it's complete and you finally understand what's going on, because there is one picture in this film near the conclusion in which everyone knows what i'm talking about...I could talk way more about this incredible gem and i love it since i saw it the first time.But before i finish my thoughts here's a little tip, if you have the chance to see the director's cut, watch that version, it's not THAT different from the theatrical release, but it never tries to hold you hand. (There is a monologue at the beginning of the theatrical cu, which tells you a few things that are way more effective when you have no idea what's going on at all) I love Dark City, and everyone who thinks that Matrix, or Inception (which i also like) are the smartest movies ever made, than they haven't seen this one...