Dark City (1998)

Alien Noir

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Dark City on DVD.

One of the most amazing things about Dark City is that it was made from an original screenplay, written by Lem Dobbs, David S. Goyer and director Alex Proyas. When was the last time you saw a movie that was not only not based on a book, TV show, comic book, video game, song, or another movie, but was actually a new story, something you hadn't seen before? (For an example, look at the Oscar nominees for Best Original Screenplay -- all formula stuff we've seen reworked a hundred times.)

The truth is, when watching Dark City, directed by Alex Proyas, we do think of other movies; Fritz Lang's Metropolis, Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, Tim Burton's Batman, Proyas' previous movie The Crow, and even last year's excellent Gattaca. But we think of them in terms of landmarks of their time. Now this is a new landmark, making the others part of the past.

I shouldn't describe the fantastic story of Dark City. It is the most imaginative, complex sci-fi story I've seen in years, worthy of "The Twilight Zone." It begins as a man (Rufus Sewell) wakes up in a hotel room with no memory of who he is or how he got there. He discovers that he has a wife (the beautiful Jennifer Connelly), who is a torch singer. He also discovers that he may be responsible for killing several "ladies of the night." Then a weird doctor (Keifer Sutherland) and a detective (William Hurt) come into the picture, and everything you know, and everything you think is going to happen, get blown away. Let me just say two words to describe this genre: "alien noir."

Some have criticized the film for being cold, but I would have to disagree. There are plenty of quiet moments where the characters, mostly sad and lonely people, talk among themselves about the things they hold most dear, and wonder why things like that have gone away. The main goal of the Rufus Sewell character is not riches, or glory, or even good-triumphing-over-evil, but simply to see the beach one more time.

Dark City is only Proyas' second film, and it comes four years after the accidental death of Brandon Lee on the set of The Crow. Proyas finished The Crow, and it turned out amazingly, surprisingly well. If Hollywood has been superstitious about working with Proyas again, that fear has been waylaid. This is a tremendous achievement, and it announces the arrival of a great talent. Likewise for screenwriter Lem Dobbs, who wrote the legendary unproduced screenplay Edward Ford as well as the visually stunning Kafka.

The sound and visuals of this movie are not to be missed on the big screen if at all possible.

DVD Details: It's a little embarrassing to re-read these old reviews, this one written for a 'zine called "BAH." I still love Dark City, but in the meantime, I've seen Proyas' third and fourth films, Garage Days and I, Robot. I think we can now consign him to the pile of filmmakers who were once talented and burned out early. The Dark City DVD is still very much worth having, though. It comes with two commentary tracks, one by Roger Ebert -- who screened the film one frame at a time for his annual University of Colorado film class in Boulder -- and one by the filmmakers. Extras include an essay by Neil Gaiman, an interactive "game" and a comparison to Metropolis.

See also: Dark City: Director's Cut.

Starring: Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard O'Brien, Ian Richardson, Colin Friels, Bruce Spence, William Hurt
Written by: Lem Dobbs, David S. Goyer, Alex Proyas
Directed by: Alex Proyas
MPAA Rating: R for violent images and some sexuality
Running Time: 100 minutes
Date: April 2, 1998