Dark City (1998)

A man struggles with memories of his past, which includes a wife he cannot remember, and a nightmarish world, no one else seems to be waking up from.

Director:

Alex Proyas

Writers:

Alex Proyas (story), Alex Proyas (screenplay)

Stars:

Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly

12 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rufus Sewell	...	John Murdoch
William Hurt	...	Inspector Frank Bumstead
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Dr. Daniel 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:

neo noir | alien race | memory | experiment | beach | 

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Taglines:

You are not who you think you are

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Genres:

Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent images and some sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mr. Sleep is played by twins, a girl (Satya Gumbert) and her brother (Noah Gumbert). Both were fond of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and they (and the rest of the cast and crew) were frequently entertained by Richard O'Brien, who played Mr. Hand in this film and Riff Raff in "Rocky Horror", with recitations from that film.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 8 mins) When the doctor is pointing a gun at Murdoch and trying to give him the injection containing his memories, it is daylight outside through the windows behind them, but there is supposed to be no daylight.

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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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Alternate Versions

The director's cut omits the opening monologue.

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Connections

Referenced in Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

The thinking man's sci-fi

For science fiction fans the late 90s were great years. The most famous and popular of all was The Matrix but Alex Proyas's much more thought-provoking(which is saying something as the Matrix, at least the first movie was very thought provoking itself) film is just as good. No movie can ever have too much atmosphere, and Dark City exudes it from every frame of celluloid. Alex Proyas' world isn't just a playground for his characters to romp in -- it's an ominous place where viewers can get lost. We don't just coolly observe the bizarre, ever-changing skyline; we plunge into the city's benighted depths, following the protagonist as he explores the secrets of this grim place where the sun never shines. Visually, this film isn't just impressive, it's a tour de force. Thankfully, Dark City doesn't have an "all style, no substance" problem, either, because there's a mind-challenging story to go along with the eye candy. Proyas hasn't written this film for the passive viewer. To become involved in Dark City, thinking is mandatory.

Details

Official Sites:

WarnerBros.com

Country:

Australia

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 USA:

$5,576,953, 1 March 1998

Gross USA:

$14,378,331

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$27,200,316

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:

2.39 : 1