A mystical, fantastic tale of a man and the chaotic world around him

Rating: 7/10 (13 January 1999)

Dark City was one of the more ambiguous movies I have seen in a long time. It could be best described as a mystery/sci-fi fantasy movie where the characters are placed out of time and out of place. The movie definitely had style. From which era, I am not sure. It was a mixture of America in the 1920's (by the style of dress, cars), and 30's and 40's and 50's... I thought that the intentional mixture of culture throughout the different eras really contributed to the mystic (and confusion) of the movie. However, the plot I cannot really comment on. I can see where some members of the audience would feel frustrated in watching such a movie. Nothing really made much sense the first time around. It was, well, strange to say the least. But watching the movie gave me a feeling of despair, fear and oppression. The dark, wet and dirty streets of the city really created an atmosphere of loathing and suffocation. I thought Jennifer Connelly was brilliant and gorgeous. Overall, it was an enjoyable movie.