In the eyes of an amateur movie-lover...

Rating: 7/10 (24 December 2001)

there's not much of a deep analysis I can present, except of the understanding of all of the relations and influences of classic sci-fi and noir films of the old, upon Dark City. In fact I almost fell asleep while watching it the first time, on the big screen. But there was something in the movie that made me wanted to see it twice. I did, several months later on VCD format.
It's the darkness that envelops the entire city, the loneliness felt by the characters, the uncertainties of their surroundings. The settings, ligthing, costume and mystery. But mostly it is because of the movie's multi-layered symbolism. We see something in each of that layer. I can relate with John's confusion and identity-crisis. Waking up in a imaginary land, where ominous beings are chasing you, a beautiful yet estranged lady with long dark hair, the stench of the pipes' smokes, the spiral into oblivion, aren't these the stuff of dreams/nightmares?
There is something that is almost sub-conscious about the movie. It could mean anything to different people. For me, I too share John's confusion and struggle to retain his false memories. In the end what matters is your own conception of the truth. After the realization of John's and the dark city's true nature, he finds the courage to fight back the ominous beings who control and rule the cityscape. They are perhaps the embodiment of our own society's puppeteers: soulless aliens trying to understand, but could never have, the soul. John finally finds the courage and strength to shape a reality of his own. Afterall the truth is only as real as the mind's eye choose to perceive. The rest is but a fabrication of random occurances and coincidences. Strangely enough, that is what I 'feel' by watching Dark City. It is a personal inner journey from a dark spiral of endless flight, to the realization of the truth, making your stand and walking that narrow alley to earn your prize: a brightly-lit oceanscape of fresh air and a beautiful woman by your side. Finding peace and enlightenment.
PS: Rufus Sewell plays with excellent subtlety, with captivating performances from the rest of the actors/actresses.