On first viewing ever: Director's Cut

Rating: 9/10 (17 September 2008)

Dark City Review:
On first viewing ever: Director's Cut (contains plot spoilers so beware if you're still deciding between watching Original or DC)
Now I've read on the forums after watching the movie that the original cut had an opening narrative that gives away the premise. Heck the trailer gives it away too. But I came into this movie with absolutely no idea what it was about. I was curious to watch the movie because it was referenced as Kafka Esquire. I'm just into the whole not seeing beyond the obvious type of movies. That and it was no.8 on IMDb's list of Kafka Esquire movies. The title definitely clued me in on what type of mood I would be in though. There were hardly any daytime sequences, except for that surrealistic last scene. Unlike most other movies, the dark nature of the movie actually is part of the plot itself and I found that; absolutely refreshing. Dark City is quite an experience in itself and even though it has its faults, mainly in its plot like most movie of its genre, it still doesn't take away from feelings it will create.
The movie opens with fairly ominous overtones. The city looks bleak and you can feel something bad is going to happen. As it turns out, our moral senses are tingling. Our man, John Murdock, wakes up inside a chillingly lit bath tub full of water with blood on his face and a dead body on the floor. He gets phone call telling him to get out of there and quickly he does. His departure reveals a world that sleeps at once but carries on without notice. Our fugitive is being chased by overtly pale white men in trench coats. Their means are as menacing as their looks.
At first they seem creepy but then soon they're revealed to be much more powerful. There in lies the first problem and that is that their threat is madly inconsistent. One minute they're shadowy men that lurks in the environment, and the next, they can not only fly but build the environment itself. Furthermore they can put the whole world to sleep at will as part of an experiment. How they can put drivers to sleep and not cause crashes is amusing though. Anyway, with this kind of power, what isn't within their reach? Well, apparently John. But that's because he has small powers himself; and even though he escapes with luck and timing, you get a sense that these omnipotent beings aren't quite as threatening as they first appeared. On that point, they aren't really a threat to mankind itself but rather just manipulative observers. And give credit to the film-makers for immersing us in that situation.
We get glimpses into the confusion of what it's like to be a rat in an experiment. How cruel it is to see the people trying to explore why they can't remember past what is shown to us in the screen. It's quite depressing. At the same time, we can empathize with the Strangers for their curiosity to study us. Should a distant race happen upon Earth, it is reasonable to assume they would just pluck us up from our every day lives just to find out what makes us tick. What emotions do we have? What do we feel? What is our soul? Of course there isn't time to answer those questions as there's virtually no down time. In moments of character interplay, there is an underlying sense of dread in the air. When the characters aren't being introspective, the action itself is quite enjoyable. All the physical interaction is within the boundaries of the plot except when it comes to the climactic end battle. That's where it really shows its year of production. I can't really fault the movie just because I saw it a decade later. Although I did find it unnecessary within the confines of the plot. The movie set the tone as an intelligent sci-fi thriller. Most movies of this type tends to cross over to the action genre for it's climax so that is expected. Of course where it faltered slightly there it ended strongly in familiar fashion. Yes the hero now controls the world. He's the bad-ass and he wants the girl, let him have his glory in the sun and for us, the visual payout was just as welcoming. It ends on an excellent note, visually and metaphorically.
By the end, the inability for the Strangers to catch Murdock can be explained away in logistical terms; a city is bigger than a maze. While I'm reflecting back on faults, I just want to talk about the physics. It's just off the wall. The water moves to nonexistent weather; there's wind suck-age by space wall even though they're surround by a force field; the detective doesn't expand once in space; and finally the hull of the ship is held by bricks! This is all hindsight nitpicking of course, as none of this hindered the sensation I felt as some of the situation unfolds. The sun creeping over the city was beautiful; the detective floating out to space, a sad lost; the water pouring out of the city, majestic; and looking at space through a brick wall; a hauntingly disturbing visual. So for me, even when logic eventually catches up to you, it still doesn't take away from the awe-inspiring magic this movie can drop on you in the moment. It might hinder future viewings but then again, when you associate a feeling with a certain scene, that feeling will probably be there on repeated viewings. On this single viewing though, I found the movie to be sci-fi at its best with its thought provoking premise, tensely choreograph moments, and well-conceived visuals. Even with its subtle flaws I thoroughly enjoyed it.