Frank Miller meets The Matrix

Rating: 7/10 (8 December 2006)

While this beautiful noir sci-fi thriller at times appears to have streaks of b-movie material in it, the intelligent story, beautiful cinematography and perfected goth-noir tone makes it one of a kind. It predates The Matrix, yet surpasses it in many ways, in its philosophical exploration of reality, perception of reality, and the workings of the human mind and soul (without turning pretentious or boring). Wachowski Brothers played it safe when making The Matrix. Alex Proyas has far more guts than the brothers put together, and his movie remains unpredictable and wondrous throughout, solidly tied together by the visual style that seems to be the director's strongest side, and without having to resort to endless fight sequences in order to create suspense. Dark City doesn't need Kung Fu - it's got suspense oozing from its very fabric, and keeps you wondering what happens next.