Dark City (B or 3/4 stars)
John Murdoch's (Rufus Sewell) life has become a living nightmare in 'Dark City', a futuristic thriller written & directed by Alex Proyas. He awakens alone & naked in a strange hotel. He's lost his memory. He's hunted by the police for a series of brutal murders he knows nothing about. A woman who claims to be his wife, Emma (Jennifer Connelly) is pursuing him; as is a police inspector (William Hurt), & a mysterious doctor (Kiefer Sutherland). But still, his worst trouble yet comes from 'the strangers', a group of ghoulish entities who can manipulate the city with telekinetic powers; which includes putting everyone to sleep.
This group is led by Mr. Book (Sir Ian Richardson) & Mr. Hand (Richard O'Brien). They're after John because they believe he has extraordinary powers; powers that could thwart their plans on Earth (which includes sucking the souls from humans). Not understanding why he, too, can shape reality like 'the strangers', John decides to find out what is happening to his city, why it's always nighttime, & why no one will let him leave. Who are his allies, who are his foes? Can John harness his own special abilities & unravel the mystery of his identity before every human is compromised?
'Dark City' exudes atmosphere from the second it begins til the second it ends. Proya's city is a grim, ominous place that no one would ever want to be in. We experience everything about it right along with John; who doesn't remember his city as he once knew it. The filmmaking of this film is visionary; reminding me of 1982's Blade Runner & 1985's Brazil. Almost everything is filmed in greys, blues, or dull-ambers; which gives it a relentless, haunting, Dystopian feel. The set designs are wonderfully textured & highly inventive. And the template for dark city appears to be a sort of early-20th century, surreal New York. I really could go on & on about the great production values, but I won't.
As part sci-fi, part horror, part film noir, 'Dark City' has tons of style. But that isn't all it has. There is substance. When the story begins, John has no idea what's going on, & neither do we. The plot is mind-challenging, to say the least. I liked how important 'memory' is made to be in this film; and how memories are what make human beings human. Rufus Sewell is stellar as Murdoch. He's confused, desperate ... and we're right there with him. Sewell is not the most charismatic actor out there, but for this role, he's suitable. Jennifer Connelly makes for an appealing femme fatale. And it's nice to see William Hurt in a somewhat-protagonist type of role, for once. The only performance I wasn't wild about was Kiefer Sutherland's "mad" doctor.
Now, I didn't flat-out love 'Dark City' because I think it takes too long to get going. I understand that a somber mood has to be set, & I understand that we're not 'supposed' to know what's going on. But it's hard to get engrossed early on. The narrative is fairly confounding. And unfolding it is, at times, a tedious chore. Not pleasantly challenging ... a chore. It's not great when you're confused for half of a movie. I loved the ending; getting goose bumps remembering it right now. The concepts within the film are provocative. And I love the style of the film. But neither the characters nor the story are rich or compelling enough in execution. The idea of the film is great, as are the images. Stay the tricky course (of this film) though, & you should be rewarded.
This group is led by Mr. Book (Sir Ian Richardson) & Mr. Hand (Richard O'Brien). They're after John because they believe he has extraordinary powers; powers that could thwart their plans on Earth (which includes sucking the souls from humans). Not understanding why he, too, can shape reality like 'the strangers', John decides to find out what is happening to his city, why it's always nighttime, & why no one will let him leave. Who are his allies, who are his foes? Can John harness his own special abilities & unravel the mystery of his identity before every human is compromised?
'Dark City' exudes atmosphere from the second it begins til the second it ends. Proya's city is a grim, ominous place that no one would ever want to be in. We experience everything about it right along with John; who doesn't remember his city as he once knew it. The filmmaking of this film is visionary; reminding me of 1982's Blade Runner & 1985's Brazil. Almost everything is filmed in greys, blues, or dull-ambers; which gives it a relentless, haunting, Dystopian feel. The set designs are wonderfully textured & highly inventive. And the template for dark city appears to be a sort of early-20th century, surreal New York. I really could go on & on about the great production values, but I won't.
As part sci-fi, part horror, part film noir, 'Dark City' has tons of style. But that isn't all it has. There is substance. When the story begins, John has no idea what's going on, & neither do we. The plot is mind-challenging, to say the least. I liked how important 'memory' is made to be in this film; and how memories are what make human beings human. Rufus Sewell is stellar as Murdoch. He's confused, desperate ... and we're right there with him. Sewell is not the most charismatic actor out there, but for this role, he's suitable. Jennifer Connelly makes for an appealing femme fatale. And it's nice to see William Hurt in a somewhat-protagonist type of role, for once. The only performance I wasn't wild about was Kiefer Sutherland's "mad" doctor.
Now, I didn't flat-out love 'Dark City' because I think it takes too long to get going. I understand that a somber mood has to be set, & I understand that we're not 'supposed' to know what's going on. But it's hard to get engrossed early on. The narrative is fairly confounding. And unfolding it is, at times, a tedious chore. Not pleasantly challenging ... a chore. It's not great when you're confused for half of a movie. I loved the ending; getting goose bumps remembering it right now. The concepts within the film are provocative. And I love the style of the film. But neither the characters nor the story are rich or compelling enough in execution. The idea of the film is great, as are the images. Stay the tricky course (of this film) though, & you should be rewarded.