Embrace the Dark

In 1999, The Matrix came along and blew the minds of a legion of movie-goers. But a small slice of them, like me, were somewhat less impressed -- just one year earlier, we'd seen Dark City.

Both movies follow a protagonist with a growing awareness that the world he lives in isn't real. Both are aided by a wise outsider with the ability to infuse the hero with vast knowledge in an instant. Both are pursued by ominous forces fighting to maintain the status quo. Both develop the ability to manipulate their false reality. Okay, so The Matrix has kung fu, wire stunts, and "bullet time" -- and I'm not saying that isn't neat. But basically everything else The Matrix has, Dark City had better. And first.

I recently watched Dark City again, part of my Top 100 Movies project, and found that my enthusiasm for the film hasn't waned in the slightest. But I do recognize today that that enthusiasm is somewhat unlikely. I don't particularly like the film noir genre. I've trashed several film noir movies here on my blog. Make no mistake; Dark City may be a sci-fi film, but it is equally (and maybe in greater part) a film noir.

Style is the centerpiece of the movie, permeating its every aspect. The tone is bleak. The color saturation is dark. The sun never shines in Dark City. The costumes are austere.

The character design of the adversaries, the Strangers, deserves special mention. Every element of them is perfectly ghoulish, from their gaunt and pale frames, to their evil black outfits, to their unsettling manner of speech ("...yes?"), to their odd names, to their wicked teeth chattering. Off-hand, I can't think of a movie villain I've ever found more chilling. I mean, Darth Vader scared the crap out of me when I was five years old, but if I'd seen one of these guys at that age? Scarred for life.

The actors playing the Strangers may steal the show, but the main cast is great too. Rufus Sewell is a compelling hero, even in a low-key performance. Jennifer Connelly is the perfect femme fatale for the genre. William Hurt plays the detective role with palpable exhaustion. And Kiefer Sutherland... well, I won't lie, I'm still not quite sure what's going on with his strange... breathless... speech. But it's the very definition of what actors call a "bold choice," and it somehow totally works in the context of the movie.

Remove the awesome stylized trappings, and I can't pretend that there's much to the story beyond a typical "hero's journey." But in 90 short minutes, the movie takes you on that journey perfectly, and even finds moments to reflect on the nature of the human soul. What makes a person who they are?

The finishing touch is a stellar, wall-to-wall musical score by Trevor Jones. Aside from a few night club scenes featuring "source cues," I believe that every last second of the film is scored. The music never fails to heighten suspense, accelerate action, amplify unsettling moments, and generally magnify every sensation the movie invokes. It's a feast for the ears to match the feast for the eyes.

Dark City remains high on my list, an absolute A.