Dark City (1998)

There is a man unconscious in a bathtub. A light fixture swings back and forth over the small room revealing the green floor tiles and purple bath water. The man wakes up; alarmed, naked, and confused he wanders into the next room and knocks over a fish tank. After placing the fish in the tub he gets dressed and finds a mutilated woman lying dead on the floor. The phone rings and a voice tells him that people are coming for him and he has to run. This is the opening sequence to Dark City, directed by Alex Proyas (The Crow). The story follows John Murdock (Rufus Sewell), who has lost his memory, as he runs from strange bald men who are trying to kill him as well as the police who suspect him to be a murderer. While on the run, he begins to develop powerful mental abilities and runs in a mysterious doctor (Kiefer Sutherland) who may know some answers. Inspector Bumstead (played pretty deadpan by William Hurt) and John’s wife Emma Murdock (Jennifer Connelly) also attempt to find him and in the process begin to notice strange things about the city around them, such as people being unable to recall certain memories.

The story is full of twists and turns and, for the first half hour or so, it is very easy to feel completely lost. Part of what makes this work is that John Murdock has very shattered memories of his life, so the city is as bizarre and new to him as it is to the audience, who must then learn about his world as he does. Every question raised and every mystery is solved by the end, resulting in an incredible (and perhaps a bit over the top) climax. The story poses several ideas as to what makes a person truly human, placing heavy importance on memories. If a person has no past or history, then who’s to say if they even exist? The visuals in Dark City are as engrossing as the story. The city is, without being redundant, very dark. It is set in a never ending night and the shadows and color scheme set a mysterious and sinister tone. There are dark greens (reminiscent of other sci-fi films like The Matrix) and yellows while virtually everything is cast in shadow. With the inspector/murder storyline and Emma being a nightclub singer, much of the film is set as a classic film noir; the big twist being the sci-fi elements that are incorporated making the film something else entirely. The sets are unique and massive, providing every sequence with plenty of background action and details, making the city itself a living, breathing character reminiscent of the city from The City of Lost Children. Every street is littered with details and every room or hallway has depth making it seem like there is a world behind the characters on screen. The visual effects are also impressive for the time, and the sequences in which the city is rearranged and rebuilt are particularly memorable, as is the underground mechanized base of the bald men. The acting is also good, Rufus Sewell in particular; he is convincing as a confused and tortured hero, making it easy to follow along with his discoveries. Kiefer Sutherland is surprisingly different in his role as the smart, but sickly Dr. Schreber. As a unique and original combination between the sci-fi and film noir genre, this is a film that is highly deserving of a recommendation.