MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Neo-Noir Sci-Fi/Stars: Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard O’Brien, Ian Richardson, Bruce Spence, Colin Friels, John Bluthal, Mitchell Butel, Melissa George, Frank Gallacher, Ritchie Singer, Justin Monjo, Nicholas Bell, Satya Gumbert, Frederick Miragliotta, Jeanette Cronin, David Wenham, Bill Highfield, Darren Gilshenan, Terry Bader, Rosemary Traynor, Maureen O’Shaughnessy/Runtime: 100 minutes
Once upon a time dear reader when the world was young and humanity was not glued to their cellular devices, there existed a word. Unlike 99.9% of the other words circulating in existence however, this one had a secret. That being that this was a magic word. In fact, this word was so powerful that whenever it touched the imagination, bewitched the senses, or even captivated the heart it resulted (and still can if utilized properly) in some of the most amazing cinematic works the world has ever seen. That word was none other than….originality. Indeed, among other examples, it is because of originality that we got the adventures of a globe-trotting archaeologist named Indiana Jones, it was originality that gave us the story of a lonely alien named E.T. and his attempts to get home, it was originality that transformed a simple William Shatner mask-wearing babysitter killer into the epitome of pure evil, and it was originality that took a seemingly common weather occurrence in the shape and form of a fog only to then give it sinister (yet perhaps justifiably so) intentions to unleash upon a coastal California town respectively. Unfortunately, dear reader it seems that here lately the magic of originality has really started to fade what with all of these reboots, remakes, sequels, prequels, adaptations, and the like that the land of movie magic has chosen to clog up movie theaters with. A bit of a shame really because, as good as some of the entries in each of those aforementioned categories have been, there still is (in the perspective of this movie lover anyway) nothing quite like seeing a film that is an entirely original idea. In fact, it’s why for my review today I have chosen to look back and cover one such original idea from the late 90s that I feel is definitely worthy of your time and attention (oh and because it fits in perfectly with a certain weather phenomenon that is occurring today as well). That being the 1998 neo-noir sci-fi slice of cinema Dark City. Indeed here is a slice of cinema that I have quite the intriguing history with. This is because the first time I saw it I was probably 8 years old at my dad’s parents’ place on VHS and all I knew about it was that, based off the cover, the poor guy on it really looked like he wasn’t having a good day. Upon seeing it however, and all jokes aside, I found myself quickly synched up to this particular slice of cinema’s wavelength and have since routinely tried to watch this film whenever I get the chance. This is because, whilst by no means perfect, Dark City is most assuredly a cinematic effort that, although weird and a bit kooky, is still undeniably imaginative to say nothing of worth seeing thanks in large part to both the level of imagination on display as well as the wonderful work done both behind and in front of the camera.
The plot is as follows: The period of time is indeterminate (though there definitely are hints of the 40s and 50s very much about) and the location, despite being a bustling metropolis, is just as much of an enigma. In short: this is a slice of cinema that takes place somewhere at some time. As delightfully confounding (or frustratingly exasperating dependent on your individual perspective) as that lack of information I just provided you with, there is perhaps a couple of things that are worth mentioning. That being that not only do the denizens of this community fall asleep every night at midnight on the dot, but also that this city, where ever and whenever it is located, is one that seems to be in a committed relationship with the night. I say this because, for whatever reason, this is one place where the sun never chooses to make an appearance. It is into this ominous and bleak-looking locale however that we are quickly introduced to our hero who we soon learn goes by the name of John Murdoch and who isn’t really having the greatest start to his day. Of course, when you find yourself waking up in a bathtub, seem to be inflicted with either the worst amnesia this side of Jason Bourne or the worst hangover since the first Hangover, and quickly find the body of a brutally butchered woman in your hotel room…..can you really blame the guy for not thinking too positively about how this day (or should I say eternal night) is going to turn out? At any rate, we soon witness as our hero is reached out to by a mysterious individual who warns him that he needs to get out of there before they show up for him. Naturally, we see that our hero proceeds to do just that and, in so doing, learns that he has become suspect numero uno in a recent string of vicious murders involving women of a certain career path if you get my meaning. Yet even though the police, as represented in this tale by one dogged and determined inspector by the name of Frank Bumstead, are very much interested in bringing John to justice (or at least to talk to him), we see that they are not the only ones hunting our poor hero down. As for who else is I think the best way to describe them is that they are known simply as The Strangers and I feel that the less I say about them the better. Thus, as our hero desperately tries to piece together both his past to say nothing of his own identity, we see that it isn’t long before his quest also turns into an odyssey for the truth. One that will not only embroil our hero and the good inspector, but also our hero’s wife as well as a slightly off-kilter doctor named Dr. Schreber to say nothing of The Strangers themselves and which could reveal long-buried secrets that could potentially change nothing less than the future of the world around them forever….
Now right off, it should be said that the work done behind the camera on this particular cinematic outing is nothing short of remarkable. This starts with the work done by distinct film director Alex Proyas and this, along with his work on 1994’s The Crow, definitely makes up part of his finest hour in terms of his work as a director. To be sure, the film does borrow from such masterpieces of the sci-fi genre as Metropolis and Blade Runner, but what Proyas is able to do so well here is borrow from those films (among others) and then proceed to put his own distinct spin on things whilst taking the time to honor those influences in certain ways throughout the film. This slice of cinema also contains an incredibly well-written script as penned by no less than a trinity of writers including Proyas as well as Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer. Indeed not only does the script do a wonderful job of initially luring you into the film with a taut and riveting mystery akin to something you might see in an old school film noir like The Trial from 1963 only to then in a fairly methodical style proceed to start throwing in a fair amount of sci-fi tinged twists and turns that ensure you might have completely no idea where this film is going to go, but you also are intrigued enough to want to see for yourself where it does wind up. Now I will give you fair warning: there are things about this film that are left unanswered so if you are the kind of person who enjoys having everything explained to them then you are going to be left a wee bit disappointed here. Yet I find this to be a benefit rather than a detriment because not only does it permit the film to retain an atmosphere of mystery pretty consistently, but it also permits you to use your imagination to come up with your own answers. Having said that, I think perhaps the big elements behind the camera that you will remember from this film have to come from the work done by the cinematography and visual effects departments. This is because they are, in a word, stunning. Indeed in regard to the latter, we see that the creative team in charge of this have given us visuals in this that might be gloomy and bleak, but they also are incredibly alluring and even hypnotic in a sense as well. As for the former, we see that the cinematography department does a terrific job of really giving this entire film a terrific atmosphere mixed up of equal parts suspense, ominous, paranoid, and just the right hint of otherworldly thrown in for good measure. Lastly, I definitely think praise should be afforded here to the work done in regards to this film’s costume department for really finding attire for the actors that really helps strengthen and enhance the 1940s or 50s film noir vibe that at heart this slice of cinema is striving to pull off here. Suffice it to say that there might be a few stumbles here and there, especially one that definitely makes me wholeheartedly recommend you watch the director’s cut over the theatrical version for reasons that I can’t fully go into out of respect to spoilers, but overall this is easily a slice of cinema that I could see working just as well as an episode during the original (or maybe the 80s run too come to think) run of The Twilight Zone as it did as a film and the work done behind the camera is a big part of why this is the case.
Of course, the other element that can either help or detract from a given film would have to undoubtedly come from the work done by the cast of talent assembled in front of the camera. Thankfully that is not an issue for this particular cinematic outing as this is one cast of players who all, by and large, manage to give fairly strong performances here. Without a doubt in my mind, this starts with Rufus Sewell (in one of his few good guy roles that he has given audiences throughout his career) and he is really good here as the audience’s extremely clueless, to say nothing of reluctant, guide through this rather distinct world. Indeed not only does Sewell do a wonderful job at initially conveying the cluelessness and hopelessness of a man on the run, but then effectively transitioning over into the uncertainty, panic, and extreme anxiety of someone who is never entirely sure if what he is being told to say nothing of seeing is real or if he has just lost his marbles and is hallucinating wildly whilst locked up in a looney bin somewhere. Suffice it to say that it is a very nuanced and humanity-filled turn, but one that Sewell manages to present to us as an audience beautifully. We are also treated to a wonderful turn here from the late yet great William Hurt as Inspector Frank Bumstead. Indeed as the law man trying to hunt our main character down for a significant portion of the story, we see Hurt (who I enjoyed seeing in movies since his debut performance in 1980’s Altered States) does a great job at bringing a typical doggedness and stoicism to the character whilst slowly but surely presenting him with an ever-rising wave of doubt. Not just about the guilt of his quarry, but in regards to everything else around him as well. Along with that, we see that Hurt also brilliantly remembers to incorporate little touches of dimension into the character with such things as playing an accordion or a slightly playful interaction he has with a colleague really helping to humanize him and make him relatable to us as an audience. Along with Hurt, this slice of cinema also presents us with a very intriguing yet remarkable supporting role from Kiefer Sutherland as Dr. Daniel P. Schreber. Indeed if all you associate with Sutherland is the role of Jack Bauer from 24 then boy are you in for a surprise here! I say this because with this role, Sutherland does a terrific job at really sinking his teeth into an eccentric and yet slightly lecherous character, that easily could have been played by Peter Lorre back in the day incidentally, and then making him both repulsive yet oddly sympathetic in equal measure as he serves as the human exposition dump that our main character, and by extension us, need in order to understand somewhat what is going on here. Suffice it to say that when you also incorporate into this distinct blend efforts from such talents as Richard O’Brien who easily could just be reprising his role of Riff-Raff from Rocky Horror Picture Show here, Jennifer Connelly who does a heartbreakingly good job here with her scenes as Murdoch’s wife, Ian Richardson, Bruce Spence, John Bluthal, Colin Friels, Melissa George, and Frank Gallacher among others it’s clear that whilst this slice of cinema might not be for everyone this is one cast that definitely does their part to ensure that, for the audience that chooses to go on this particular voyage, they will be quite well rewarded and then some in the best way possible.
All in all and at the end of the day is Dark City a perfect slice of cinema by any means? Sadly while I am sure there are some of you out there who might think that, and I do respect that, I am not one of those people though not for lack of effort on the part of either cast or crew. With that in mind, do I think this is a slice of cinema that should be written off entirely to say nothing of a rip-off for a certain famous fellow sci-fi film known as The Matrix? To be honest with you no I definitely do not think that and, as for the latter question, I also say no, but that is because The Matrix came out the year after this slice of cinema did so if anything this film should be writing The Wachowskis for some long overdue creative residual checks. All jokes aside though dear reader, there is no denying that this slice of cinema might not be perfect, but honestly I really do dig the heck out of this movie. Indeed the visuals are stunning, the soundtrack is brilliantly ominous, the direction is on-point, the cinematography is phenomenal, the story is rivetingly mysterious (even if we aren’t given every single answer to the multitude of questions we may have by the end), and the collection of performances in front of the camera are no less than fairly solid no matter how big or small their overall amount of screentime may wind up being. Thus if you have not had the chance to see this particular film, and you are in the mood for a viewing experience unlike a lot of others in existence, then definitely get out of the darkness you’ve been living in and come check this out. It might be weird, it might be kooky, and it might be something that belongs more so in The Twilight Zone than in your living room, but the truth is it’s all the better for it. Just make sure that the sun comes up the day after you watch it or that you don’t fall asleep exactly at midnight while watching it. Otherwise you might find yourself asking some very important questions about your existence….Make of that what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give Dark City “98” a solid 4 out of 5.
