DARK CITY
RATING: 8 / 10 --> Great movie
Review Date:
March 29, 1998
Director:
Alex Proyas
Writers:
Alex Proyas, Lem Dobbs & David S. Goyer
Producers:
Alex Proyas and Andrew Mason
Actors:
Rufus Sewell as John
Murdoch
Kiefer Sutherland as Dr. Daniel Schreber
William Hurt as Inspector Frank Bumstead
Jennifer Connelly as Emma Murdoch
Richard O'Brien as Mr. Hand
Genre:
Science-Fiction
Year of Release: 1998
Alex Proyas' visionary follow-up to his big hit from 1994, THE
CROW (8.5/10), is a stunning success on all counts of
movie-making magic.
PLOT:
Some eerie "people" named The Strangers living under a
"dark city" attempt to identify the constitution of
human beings in a futuristic setting.
CRITIQUE:
Grand vision. Out of this world special effects (not one bit of
cheese either). Deep story line that allows us to ponder the
ramifications of our childhood, memories, and future behaviour.
This movie is set on a quick pace, and doesn't let up till the
very end. It's a very original story, set to Mr. Proyas' unique
style, and dark motif. I never thought I'd see a movie that was
darker than the original Crow, but here it is, ladies and germs!
Obviously, if "dark films" are not your cup o' tea, I
suggest you skip this piece of blackness.
This movie brought back images of BLADE RUNNER (7.5/10) and the
original BATMAN (8/10) (before Joel Schumacher turned the series
into a fantasy cartoon for him and his friends...) in regards to
its grandeur and scale, and certainly will be remembered in the
years to come as a cult classic. On the down side, Kiefer
Sutherland's performance as the Doctor ran a little too close to
a bad impression of the Hunchback of Notre-Dame, but I digress.
The love story was also a bit weak, but then again, if you want
to see a good love story, you wouldn't go see a film called DARK
CITY in the first place, right?
Overall, I must say that this film is one that I thoroughly
enjoyed from frame one to frame last, and look very forward to
watching it over and over again, with nachos by my side, and mind
set to "absorb". Try to see this flick on the big
screen, boys and girls, it will certainly make for a stronger
impression. Until then, I'm off to find a poster of The Strangers
to plaster all over my walls.
Little Known Facts:
Film was originally titled DARK EMPIRE and DARK WORLD.
Director Proyas was apparently extremely distraught after the
shooting of THE CROW (and more specifically, the accidental
shooting of his young star, Brandon Lee) and took several years
to recover. I would venture to compare the meaning behind this
film with the thoughts that Mr. Proyas experienced for his
ill-fated star.
(c) 1998 Berge Garabedian
Movie Reviews by Berge Garabedian
Movie Reviews starting with "D"
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William Hurt: