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Dark City
1998 101 min Australia, United States of America R 16+
★7.4
Mystery, Science Fiction
Director: Alex Proyas
Trailers
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Description
A man struggles with memories of his past, including a wife he cannot remember, in a nightmarish world with no sun and run by beings with telekinetic powers who seek the souls of humans.
Budget:
$27M
US Gross:
$14.38M
Worldwide:
$27.2M
Starring
Rufus Sewell
Actor
William Hurt
Actor
Kiefer Sutherland
Actor
Awards
Saturn Awards 1999
— Best Science Fiction Film
Saturn Awards 1999
— Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Saturn Awards 1999
— Best Screenplay
Saturn Awards 1999
— Best Director
Saturn Awards 1999
— Best Science Fiction Film
Saturn Awards 1999
— Best Visual Effects
Key opinion
Dark City is a visually inventive sci-fi noir that explores complex themes of identity and memory through its surreal, fabricated world. While critics and fans frequently praise its stylistic ambition and foundational influence on later genre cinema, it remains divisive due to its detached character development and shifts into spectacle.
| Production | The production design masterfully integrates noir aesthetics with surreal, towering architecture to create a uniquely immersive atmosphere. | |
| Acting | Rufus Sewell delivers a grounded, compelling performance that successfully anchors the film's existential narrative. | |
| Theme | The film acts as a profound philosophical investigation into the nature of human identity and what defines the soul. | |
| Screenplay | The narrative balance is debated: some find the shift from atmospheric noir mystery to cosmic superhero spectacle a visionary evolution, while others feel it abandons the film's intellectual core. | |
| Emotion | Viewers are split on the emotional resonance; some feel deeply immersed in the film's existential struggle, while others find the characters to be hollow caricatures that make it difficult to engage. |