I’m not often blown away by a movie on a second viewing. That makes this entry an unusual occurance. I watched Dark City about ten or more years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I bought the DVD soon after, but over the course of the next few years, I sold it. I didn’t give the movie much thought. It’s a movie that comes up often among film geeks and sci-fi geeks, most notably film critic Roger Ebert. I saw the DVD for $6 recently, and I felt the pull to re-investigate this flick.
I had really forgotten how well this movie was made. Parts noir, mystery, sci-fi, action, and mindtrip, Dark City predates Inception and even The Matrix in creating a world within a world. Production design, cinematography, script, and acting are all first rate. I’ll keep the synopsis as spoiler-free as I can. A man (Rufus Sewell) awakes in a bathtub. His clothes are folded and draped over a chair. He stands to look in a mirror, only to see that there is a spot of dripping blood on his forehead. He wanders out of the bathroom and discovers he is in a hotel room. He happens upon a dead body near the bed. He has no memory at all prior to waking up. The deeper he tries to dig, the more mysterious his circumstances seem to be.
Dark City leaves much to interpretation, but it’s a movie about the human spirit and whether it can ultimately triumph. There’s plenty of fun along the way, and plenty to think about. There is room to interpret what the film has to say. Indeed, it teems with subtext. Theres much I would like to say about the experience of watching this film. The less I say, the more you can watch it on its own merit. I feel like saying more would be criminal. I wouldn’t want Mr. Hand to come after me… 🙂
Geek of All Trades 