Review of Dark City

Introduction

Once in a while, a movie comes along that makes you sit up and take notice. A film so innovative and inspiring that you just have to applaud the vision of the creators. When I went to see Dark City in the cinema, I was totally blown away by the story, the visuals and the fact that the audience weren`t treated as idiots for a change. You can guess how eagerly I purchased the DVD on the day of release.

An amnesiac, John Murdock wakes up in a bath in a hotel room, totally disoriented with blood dripping from his forehead. He searches his belongings for some clue to his identity, but all he finds is a postcard from Shell Beach. To his horror, he finds the mutilated body of a girl in the bedroom. He then receives a phone call from a stranger, warning him to leave as he is being pursued. He escapes from a mysterious group of strangers, and from there he begins to sort out the details of his life. His problems are only just beginning, as he learns that he is wanted for a series of murders in the vein of the dead girl he had left behind. He is estranged from a wife, Emma who may have triggered this series of violent attacks by cheating on him. But as he learns more of his past and the city in which he dwells, more and more mysteries confront him. Just who are the Strangers who pursue him? Why can`t anyone leave the city, or recall leaving the city? Why is it always dark? And what happens at midnight?

Video

Oh Dear! A brilliant film let down totally by the DVD presentation. A 2.35:1 letterbox transfer doesn`t do the picture justice, the film is so dark, that an anamorphic print is required for clarity, too much is lost in the decreased resolution. The picture is barely adequate. This is a shame as Alex Proyas` direction and the design of the movie are phenomenal. A mish-mash of styles from art deco to the sixties are used to realise the world in which John Murdock lives and such imagery should be seen at its best.

Audio

The soundtrack likewise is a Dolby Surround only, where DD 5.1 would be ideal. The music as composed by Trevor Jones is excellent and compliments the film well.

Features

The extras are limited to the trailer and a five-minute making of which barely has time to get going. A film like this needs so much more. Even the menu design is lifeless and dull.

Conclusion

Rufus Sewell stars as John Murdock, and his role is excellent, Jennifer Connelly is his wife Emma, and she is particularly sultry and seductive in the part. William Hurt is the enigmatic police detective, Bumstead, Kiefer Sutherland plays the eccentric psychiatrist, Dr Schreber and Richard O`Brien plays the sinister Mr Hand. The cast is excellent and help make this film something very special.

A film like this comes along very rarely. The intricate plot and style of the movie are pure gifts to the cinema audience. The film takes fundamental ideas of thought and existence and explores them in a new way. What defines us? Can you define the soul? Questions like this are rarely asked in cinema and even then it`s hard to do so in novel and non-patronising ways. The story is superb with a neat twist that I never saw coming when I first saw it, and that totally blew me away. I must reiterate, how impressive the design of the film is, and how satisfying the movie is to watch. Films like this are the reason I go to the cinema. It`s such a shame then that the DVD is below par. I hope that EiV see fit to give Region 2 the same deal as Region 1 and release a special edition here. This title begs for an anamorphic release, with director`s commentary. THE best Sci-fi movie of the nineties.