Truly "Dark" Indeed

Rating: 9/10 (28 April 2005)

Alex Proyas seems to do his best work in the dark. In his previous work, "The Crow," the story takes place in a dark city in incredibly dark times, with very few shots of light. In "Dark City," we get this in spades. The city has no name and it is ALWAYS dark. No one is really disturbed by this except John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell), who wakes up in a bathtub with no memory of who he is...and a dead woman in the apartment. He soon realizes that nothing is what it seems. At the strike of midnight, everyone falls asleep except him. Time just stops. Then, The Strangers arrive. With their dark clothes and dead pallor, they control the inhabitants of the city, switching their identities over and over in an attempt to determine the human condition in order to save their race. They also have an ability called "tuning," which can alter the landscapes, making it as they choose. It also seems that Murdoch also has this power (Although how he obtained it is never clearly explained), and is soon a part of the Strangers plans. While trying to avoid The Strangers, he is trying to avoid the police,who believe him to be a serial killer. On his tail is Inspector Bumstead (William Hurt),who is slowly starting to have his doubts about Murdoch, and is wondering why his predecessor seems to have gone mad while trying to solve the murders. Also trying to find Murdoch is Dr. Schreber (Keifer Sutherland), who works with The Strangers, and who has a hidden agenda that may/may not help Murdoch. Jennifer Connelly plays Murdoch's wife Emma, who soon becomes a pawn in The Strangers attempt to capture him.
An excellent film, but it leaves a few unanswered questions (Exactly WHERE did the inhabitants of the city come from?). Some viewers may notice interesting similarities between this film and "The Matrix, which was released the following year. Good performances all around, especially Jennifer Connelly. I've always found her to be a beauty, but when she is in the club, singing those ballads, her beauty really shines. Also of note is Richard O'Brien as Mr. Hand. As he becomes immersed in the human condition, you can almost feel how he longs to be human (Especially when he looks at the picture of Connelly and talks to her). On a more personal note: there's something about the way he says "surrender." Whenever he says that, it just sounds sexy!