Dark City
Starring Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly.
Written by Alex Proyas, Lem Dobbs, David S. Goyer.
Directed by Alex Proyas.
Genre: Thriller/ Drama / Action / Noir / Sci-Fi
Released: 1998
Running time: 100 mins.
Rated: R (American rating)
IMDb link: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0118929/
Man, did I ever love The Crow. I think I was something like fourteen or
fifteen when I saw it on video so of course I was at just the right age
for the angst-ridden beauty of it to hit me right in my medulla
oblongata. I wasnt the only one who loved it, though. The Crow was, for
the kind of film it was, very successful. Whether that was because of
Brandon Lees on-set death or simply because it was a good film is, I
think, hard to say.
Director Alex Proyas follow-up film Dark
City, however, was a flop. Which is a real shame, because its such a
phenomenal movie. Without giving away too much, Dark City tells the
story of John Murdoch, a man who wakes up with no memory of his life in
a city of eternal night. Being hunted by both the police and a group of
strange, telekinetic men, John tries to unravel the mystery of who he
is and what he has done.
Before writing up this column, I was
talking to someone about the film. We of course discussed the way its
believed by many to be a film that The Matrix borrowed heavily from
(though I think thats giving The Matrix too much credit). But the
person I was talking to raised a very interesting point; that Dark City
has a lot in common with The City of Lost Children.
Ive
discussed The City of Lost Children in a previous column, and I have to
say, both that film and Dark City are very similar, in tone if in
nothing else. They both create a very dense, macabre world. But whereas
the world of City of Lost Children is more of a twisted fairytale, Dark
City is a noir thriller told through the haze of a feverish nightmare.
Its especially interesting seeing pre-24 Kiefer Sutherland playing a
mad scientist, and pre-Oscar Jennifer Connelly playing John Murdochs
confused, suffering, but still strong wife. And then theres the fact
that the villain is played by Richard OBrien, AKA Riff Raff from The
Rocky Horror Picture Show.
I cant see why Dark City failed at
the box office. Maybe it really is a case of it being, as the saying
goes, before its time. But if you have a taste for dark, genre-defying,
mind-bending trips through cinema, I strongly recommend you check it
out. God knows, its better than Proyas last endeavour, I, Robot.
Now, I think its time for me to go study. Ugh.
Next week: Something racy.
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