Masterpiece Cinema - Dark City

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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