This is by no means a failure. It is a brave and commendable attempt to evoke a Kafkaesque feeling, a dystopian vision, against which the all too human characters play. And Colin Friels' demented cameo almost steals the acting honours from the malevolent Ian Richardson, a sort of intergalactic Francis Urquhart. The best thing about the movie is that it is stimulating visually, and thought-provoking in its contemplation of life under the stress of the ultimate test of human endurance. There are far too many fluff movies - all style and action, with no bottom.
Dark City is a movie with genuine rigour beneath the surface.