Dark City (1998)

A man struggles with memories of his past, including a wife he cannot remember, in a nightmarish world with no sun and run by beings with telekinetic powers who seek the souls of humans.

Director:

Alex Proyas

Writers:

Alex Proyas (story), Alex Proyas (screenplay),

Stars:

Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland

6 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rufus Sewell	...	John Murdoch
William Hurt	...	Inspector Frank Bumstead
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Dr. Daniel P. Schreber
Jennifer Connelly	...	Emma Murdoch
Richard O'Brien	...	Mr. Hand
Ian Richardson	...	Mr. Book
Bruce Spence	...	Mr. Wall
Colin Friels	...	Walenski
John Bluthal	...	Karl Harris
Mitchell Butel	...	Husselbeck
Melissa George	...	May
Frank Gallacher	...	Stromboli
Ritchie Singer	...	Hotel Manager / Vendor
Justin Monjo	...	Taxi Driver
Nicholas Bell	...	Mr. Rain

Storyline

John Murdoch awakens alone in a strange hotel to find that he has lost his memory and is wanted for a series of brutal and bizarre murders. While trying to piece together his past, he stumbles upon a fiendish underworld controlled by a group of beings known as The Strangers who possess the ability to put people to sleep and alter the city and its inhabitants. Now Murdoch must find a way to stop them before they take control of his mind and destroy him.

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Plot Keywords:

memory | murder | hotel | night | sleep | 

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Taglines:

A world where the night never ends. Where man has no past. And humanity has no future.

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Genres:

Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent images and some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

New Line Cinema [us]

Country:

Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 February 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dark Empire

Filming Locations:

Fox Studios, Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$27,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£309,525 (UK) (29 May 1998)

Gross:

£848,615 (UK) (19 June 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mystery Clock Cinema, New Line Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 111 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

An earlier draft of the script had Dr. Schreber (Kiefer Sutherland) being skinned alive during the finale.

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Goofs

When Murdoch is on the Shell Beach billboard and collapses after reading the newspaper clippings he found in his coat pocket, a stranger appears/disappears/reappears on the steps in the background.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dr. Schreber: [voiceover] First there was darkness. Then came the strangers. They were a race as old as time itself. They had mastered the ultimate technology. The ability to alter physical reality by will alone. They called this ability "Tuning". But they were dying. Their civilization was in decline, and so they abandoned their world seeking a cure for their own mortality. Their endless journey brought them to a small, blue world in the farthest corner of the galaxy. Our world. Here they ...

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Connections

References 20th Century Oz (1976)

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Soundtracks

"Le Chale Bleu"
Written by François Perchat (as Francois Perchat)
Sung by Anita Kelsey

User Reviews

A perfect nighttime movie

I'm not saying the acting was perfect, i'm not trying to say the story was told in the most professional way or all by rules of film-making. It wasn't at all an up-tempo film Hollywood style with lots of explosions and rapid smart dialogs.

But, somehow, unlike most films with few exceptions, it had the capability of putting you in a certain mood. A mood of inconvenience, because you become one with the character John Murdoch, mostly thanks to Sewell's acting. Maybe it's because when I've seen this movie, it's always way past midnight, but I guess it's part of the ultimate experience from it.

The thing is I've only felt this way about a movie once before, and unfortunately, I can't remember the title of that movie, only that it ended with a picture of an ocean, and an alone man on the beach, leaving us never knowing if he would ever meet his girl again or not. I love when a picture put that enormous hill of emotions in your heart, and just as many questions in your head. That feeling, that mood.

Most of the actors has received bad reviews for this movie, not least on this forum. But in my opinion, Rufus Sewell is doing his part very well. First so uncertain, then slowly growing into his role. Keither Sutherland, in a pretty uncomfortable role as a scared, weak doctor does it surprisingly good. William Hurt is hard and scarred, but soft on the inside. I guess the actors are telling more about their parts than the script itself.

Generally, all the actors seem to have captured this feeling, this sense, that colors all throughout the picture, making the picture. You are not watching it. You are in it. You are John Murdoch.

I'd like to end with a quote

John Murdoch: "When was the last time you remember doing something during the day?"

It sort of reveals the touch of it. If you haven't seen it, see it, in the middle of the night! If you've seen it daytime, see it again at nighttime. Not because you're tired, but because it's dark.