The Thinking Man's Matrix

Rating: 9/10 (2 March 2018)

It's hard to imagine the classic 1999 film 'The Matrix' starring Rufus Sewell in the lead, fighting an evil Agent played by a pasty bald Richard O'Brian. Yet, believe it or not, there is an 'early version' of the film that's just like that. 'Dark City' was released only one year earlier and it's basically the same premise, only it never achieved such greatness or Box Office success. But don't let that put you off.
I love 'The Matrix.' It's very cool and you can't help but be wowed by the cyber-tech and, back then, the 'bullet-time' special effects were revolutionary for their day. Plus you had the highly-bankable Keanu Reeves in the lead and, no matter how wooden his performance, we all love to watch him. Therefore, 'The Matrix' just seemed to hit all the right notes at the right time (don't get me started on the sequels - that's a whole other story!). 'Dark City' didn't really have any of that. Rufus Sewell is a competent leading man, but you get the feeling that his part could have been played by any good looking guy, the same goes for his love interest Jennifer Connolly. It also doesn't have special effects that will make you think that you've never seen anything like that before. It's leads are competent, as are what effects the film utilises (nowadays I see a precursor to 'Inception' in there, too). It's dark (as the title suggests) and Gothic, portraying the film as a sombre and depressing affair, as opposed to 'The Matrix's' high-tech and uber-coolness. Therefore, 'Dark City' doesn't look or sound like anything that original. However, if you don't dwell on any of that (or just haven't seen 'The Matrix' - there must be a couple of you out there!) then this is really something pretty special.
Yes, the film is quite (and I hate to keep using this word, but there really isn't any other that sums it up) 'dark.' It is certainly not a 'feel-good' film, but where it really succeeds is its sheer concept. Rufus Sewell wakes up in a flat with no memory of who he is. The only thing he knows is that there's a dead body in the apartment and it looks very much like he's the killer. Therefore, he sets out to find out who he is and whether he did it. Now, along the way he discovers that it's not just him who has a dark (there's that word again) past, but also his whole world. And that brings me nicely on to the baddies of the film - the 'Strangers.' Instead of 'The Matrix's' 'agents' you have a horde of black-trenchcoat-clad bald men with pasty faces hell-bent on thwarting our hero's efforts at every turn. And they really are great. Whether it's the fact that they refer to each other by weird noun-like names, i.e. 'Mr Hand' and 'Mr Foot,' or its' because they have one little boy-version of themselves who is just downright creepy (and don't get me started on their 'powers'). All in all, they're some of the best movie-villains ever created.
If you like your sci-fi 'action-packed' and full of explosions and battles then you probably won't really enjoy this. I love it, but I don't watch it often - that's because you really need to be in the mood to sit down and watch quite a thoughtful film that really gets under your skin. There are some small fist-fights and superpowered skirmishes just in case you're wondering and I'm glad it seems that this film has found its own place in the world with a dedicated cult following. However, it will always be overshadowed by 'The Matrix,' but I believe that 'Dark City' is different and special enough to warrant its own place in your collection alongside Keanu trilogy.