Dark City: Go. Rent. Now.

[feliciakw]

Geo pulled out his disc of Dark City a few days ago. I'd forgotten what a great movie that is. Starring Rufus Sewell, Keifer Sutherland, Jennifer Connolly, Richard O'Brien, and William Hurt, it's a mystery/thriller that delves into the meanings of memory and identity and self-identity. It's a brain-bendy, dark, eclectic film noir with a healthy dose of sci-fi. izhilzha, if you haven't put this in your movie-bowl, you totally need to.

It was way underrated and ignored when it came out back in 1998. So this may well be one of the best movies you've never seen.

Comments

[kalquessa.livejournal.com]

Is this that movie that got kind of ignored because the Matrix was sort of similar and way more successful? I've already vastly enjoyed one film like that (Equilibrium, film that sort of mixes George Orwell and gun-fu). Is it pixie-safe, by chance? (Matrix-like violence is okay.)

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Hm . . . Well, per IMDB, The Matrix came out the following year. I do remember that when we were at the theater seeing something else, the Dark City poster intrigued me. But Geo for some reason didn't think it looked that good. (Of course, he changed his mind when he actually saw it.) And when I did see it, I wondered why the heck it hadn't gotten better publicity.

I can't think of anything that would make it non-pixie friendly. There is at least one body of a serial killer victim (no worse than anything on CSI). There's a fantastical fight sequence. Um . . . There's a scene wherein the audience sees a woman undress (frontal nudity).

Did you know that IMDB has a "Parents Guide" feature for movies, where users can submit information? On the movie's main entry page, scroll down to where it details production information (like shooting location, ratings, etc.).

The production design (set, lighting, costuming) is very dark, but if they like sci-fi, I think they'll like this one.

[kalquessa.livejournal.com]

Cool, I didn't know that about imdb! Very useful.

[kerravonsen]

I remember thinking that it sounded interesting when it came out, but also that it was probably too dark for me. So I'm still not convinced to see it, because it's still probably too dark for me to enjoy.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Well . . . imo, the darkest thing about it is the production design. The plot itself revolves around a man who is being pursued as a serial killer, except he can't remember any of it. As he searches to find the truth about his identity, he discovers nefarious forces at work in his life and the lives of the city's citizens.

I'm trying to decide if the story itself is something I would call "dark." And taking the story independently of the look of the film . . . I don't think "dark" is the first word that comes to mind.

Of course, only you can decide for yourself what is too dark for you. But given that you do like sci-fi, maybe you'd like this one.

[andromakhe001.livejournal.com]

I actually went to see that movie in the theatre when it came out. It's a great movie.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Ooh, cool. Yeah, I would like to see this on the big screen. Unfortunately, we never took the opportunity. It is a great movie, isn't it.

I've always thought this would make a really good double feature with Gattaca.