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Dark City Details

1998 Certificate 15
  • Rated:
  • 70
  • from 9136 members

Upon awakening with a start in an icy bathtub in a strange room--with a woman's dead body inconveniently nearby--John Murdoch can't remember how he got there. With a police detective hot on his trail and a psychiatrist skulking around, Murdoch discovers that the key to his mystery is the presence of strange extraterrestrial .. Read more

Starring Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard O'Brien
Director Alex Proyas
Genres Thriller

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Dark City

Upon awakening with a start in an icy bathtub in a strange room--with a woman's dead body inconveniently nearby--John Murdoch can't remember how he got there. With a police detective hot on his trail and a psychiatrist skulking around, Murdoch discovers that the key to his mystery is the presence of strange extraterrestrial creatures, the Strangers, who are experimenting with the memories of the humans in his city--from which there may be no escape. Ambitious sci-fi noir, with rich production design and a dense, Kafkaesque concept.

Starring Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard O'Brien, Ian Richardson, William Hurt, Colin Friels, Frank Gallacher, Bruce Spence, Ritchie Singer, Nicholas Bell, Melissa George, David Wenham, Jeanette Cronin, Terr
Director Alex Proyas
Studio ENTERTAINMENT IN VIDEO
Run time DVD: 1 hr 36 mins
Blu-ray: 1 hr 36 mins
Certificate Certificate 15
Genres Thriller
Language DVD: English
Blu-ray: English
Subtitles DVD: English
Blu-ray: English
Released DVD: 26 Jul 1999
Blu-ray: 02 Nov 2009
Production year: 1998
Format DVD
  • Critics' reviews (4) of Dark City

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  • 3 stars out of 5

    An ex-con (Gene Nelson) on parole in Los Angeles attempts to go straight with the support of his wife (Phyllis Kirk), but soon finds himself up against hostile forces. Nelson, better known for dancing up a storm in such musicals as Lullaby of Broadway and Oklahoma!, is excellent; so is Sterling Hayden as a vengeful and sadistic cop. Solid and pacey, Andre DeToth's movie takes a gritty look at police methods, the criminal world and the difficulties crooks face when they try to escape their former lives.

    • Radio Times
  • 1 stars out of 4

    Paranoid fantasy that owes its visual style to graphic novels such as The Crow, and its tone to film noir; its narrative, though, is more muddled and, ultimately, somewhat forgettable.

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
  • Most helpful member's review of Dark City

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  • 36 out of 39 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    Pre-Matrix revelations

    The similarities between The Matrix and Dark City are strong. Both focus on brooding central characters somehow out of sync with the world around them and becoming aware of their own capabilities. In fact, The Matrix was filmed directly after Dark City at Fox Studios on Australia's Gold Coast. Parts of the rooftop sets were used for both films.

    Rufus Sewell plays the main character, John Murdoch, as a man struggling to reach the truth of both the city and himself.

    Kiefer Sutherland, complete with limp and weird accent, is John's tortured mentor. Jennifer Connelly plays his wife, the pseudo femme fatale, who needs rescuing herself. The city too is a character, menacing and alive.

    Perhaps if this film had had a Matrix size budget it would have garnered more attention. Perhaps that's for the best as we're guaranteed no lesser sequels. As it stands, Proyas has created a little known gem with images and ideas which swirl in the mind for a long time after viewing.

      • B Cooke from London
  • Most recent members' review of Dark City

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  • 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

    * * * This review contains spoilers * * *ShowHide

    Rated - 2 stars

    At least it had Kiefer Sutherland

      • Kirst from Birmingham
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Rating breakdown

9,136 Member ratings
  • 100
824
  • 90
842
  • 80
1,784
  • 70
1,615
  • 60
1,606
  • 50
927
  • 40
676
  • 30
382
  • 20
333
  • 10
147

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    • Dark City - BLU-RAY Version
      Upon awakening with a start in an icy bathtub in a strange room--with a woman's dead body inconveniently nearby--John Murdoch can't remember how he got there. With a police detective hot on his trail and a psychiatrist skulking around, Murdoch discovers that the key to his mystery is the presence ...

    • Dark City
      Upon awakening with a start in an icy bathtub in a strange room--with a woman's dead body inconveniently nearby--John Murdoch can't remember how he got there. With a police detective hot on his trail and a psychiatrist skulking around, Murdoch discovers that the key to his mystery is the presence ...