John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) awakens alone in a strange hotel to find that he is wanted for a series of brutal murders. The problem is that he can't remember whether he committed the murders or not. For one brief moment, he is convinced that he has gone completely mad. Murdoch seeks to unravel the twisted riddle of his identity. As he edges closer to solving the mystery, he stumbles upon a fiendish underworld controlled by a group of ominous beings collectively known as the Strangers.
Another request from a follower was to review Dark City, directed by Alex Proyes (who also directed The Crow) and starring Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, William Hurt, and Jennifer Connelly. Now Dark City was released in October of 1998 which happens to be the same year that The Matrix was released (The Matrix preceded Dark City in New Zealand cinemas by only six months), and this has been widely quoted as being one of the main reasons as to why cult followers claim Dark City failed to reach the same levels of popularity.
Dark City has a lovely aesthetic. Gothic, steampunk, and crime-noir all at once, there is a clear influence from films like 1982's Blade Runner. The brickwork of the buildings in this constantly murky, bleak, and grimy environment creates a rich mood and atmosphere that feels like something you'd read in a graphic novel (specifically, Frank Miller's Sin City series, or Batman: The Dark Knight Returns mini-series).
This visual style is one of the aspects that does differentiate it from The Matrix. While they definitely have similarities in the type of story that they are trying to convey, The Matrix has more of an artificial sleekness to it. With its use of colour filters and glossy costuming, there is a purposeful unnatural and exaggerated nature to the film. Dark City, on the other hand, has a more grounded and authentic feel to it, thanks to the recognisable period look that it has.
Another aspect that differs, is its use of effects. Dark City has a reasonably high reliance on CGI with its antagonists' plot. While there are certainly some breathtaking parts of the CGI (especially around environmental manipulation), there are other types of CGI that have not aged so well. Unlike The Matrix which places more emphasis on practical effects, Dark City was more at comfortable with using CG effects, which severely dates the visual experience.
The plot is genuinely intriguing and deals with a large amount of deception and manipulation to an unknown level of scale. It creates a brilliant and engaging mystery right from the start, remaining unpredictable throughout the film, even after it lets you peek behind the veil, constantly subverting your expectations. A big reason why the story is so gripping is that it is so original. This is a story that hadn't been done before.
The pacing is a little bit uneven, however, taking a while to build up and develop, leaving the audience in the dark for a long time. After it has set itself up, though it spirals out of control and at high speed; to continue my comparisons, this is The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded all in the same film. A competent intriguing mystery in a new world, that quickly devolves into an anarchical superfluous mess.
One of the real downsides to the film is, unfortunately, the direction of the cast's acting. Connelly's character comes across as largely apathetic, Rufus Sewell is uncharismatic, Kiefer Sutherland is as irritating as Stevie from Malcolm in the Middle, and William Hurt is rather inconsistent in his performance. The film tries to give us the idea that there is real chemistry between Connelly's character and her beau, but it isn't believable. One could definitely argue the case that the apathetic personalities of the characters are down to the consequences of the antagonist's actions, but ultimately it leaves the audience unengaged. The antagonists too were rather over-the-top. Interesting to begin with, but as the film progressed, they lead to more questions than you get answers for.
Overall, Dark City is an intriguing viewing. While the characters aren't all that likeable, they help put forward this curious environment that makes you question what makes us human. Are we the sum of our memories or are we something more? I can see the reasons why this was not taken up as easily as The Matrix; this is not as easy to swallow as the Wachowski brothers (sisters now) sleek and streamlined project. That being said, I'd love to see this remade with some modern CGI.