Dark City

John Chard

September 25, 2014

9/10

This review is of the Director's Cut. Welcome To Shell Beach. Dark City is directed by Alex Proyas who also co-writes the screenplay with Leon Dobbs and David S. Goyer. It stars Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Jennifer Connelly, Kiefer Sutherland, Richard O'Brien and Ian Richardson. Music is by Trevor Jones and cinematography by Dariusz Wolski. A man wakes up in a grotty hotel bathroom and upon finding a dead girl in another room he realises he has no recollection of who he is or how he g…

Wuchak

January 21, 2023

7/10

**_Atmospheric, dark mixture of film noir, comic book horror and sci-fi_** A man (Rufus Sewell) wakes up one night to great mysteries: There's a dead prostitute nearby that he gets blamed for murdering, but he can't remember much of anything. Several people seek him in the ensuing night hours of the big city: a somewhat mad doctor (Kiefer Sutherland), a detective (William Hurt), his estranged wife (Jennifer Connelly), an alluring woman of the night (Melissa George) and a group of pale bald m…

Intriguing sci-fi This is one of my favourite movies of a spate of movies dealing with philosophical themes. This group would include The Matrix (reviewed here by me), The Thirteenth Floor and Gattaca. I saw this movie many years ago and it has stuck with me all this time. Don't be put off by my description of these movies as 'philosophical'-they are entertainment first and foremost. The philosophical theme of this movie is, I suppose, the old chestnut of nature versus nurture. Is there…

JPV852

July 27, 2025

9/10

This is one I probably haven't seen since the Director's Cut Blu-ray release in 2008 and while I liked it then, I now absolutely love it today. The cast and plot were wonderful to go along with the impressive visual effects, admittedly shrouded in darkness. I always like seeing Rufus Sewell playing a good guy as he's usually pidgeonholed playing either an A-hole or outright villain. Alex Proyas's Dark City is just a great sci-fi thriller that I actually place just behind The Matrix. **4.5/5**

Dr_Nostromo

October 30, 2025

10/10

99/100 The inhabitants of a dark city are being used in an experiment by an alien race that rebuilds both the city and everyone's memories every night in an attempt to determine what makes us humans tick. Although very different films, you can't help notice the similarities with the manipulated environment of "The Matrix". The film noir quality, the surreal landscape, the strangers, the writing, the performances, the absolutely phenomenal spec fx, the astoundingly unique vision, everything in…