THE AISLE SEAT - "DARK CITY"
by Mike McGranaghan
Part of my problem with Science Fiction/Fantasy movies is that so many of them are uninspired. They often consist of a couple slimy flesh-eating aliens, or intergalactic shoot-outs, or the endless minutia of other beings from other planets (Star Trek syndrome). Even some of the ones I like are admittedly familiar. That's why Dark City is such a mind-blowing surprise. Not only is this one of the best fantasy films in recent years, it is also an intelligent, provocative movie that will enthrall sci-fi fans and non-fans alike.
The film takes place in an unnamed city. As the title suggests, it always seems to be night there. Although humans constitute the majority of the population, a group of beings called the Strangers actually rules the city. They are tall, gaunt creatures with sickly white faces. The Strangers engage in an activity called "tuning": creating something where there was previously nothing. Their business is to stop all human activity at midnight and change the city. They erect new buildings and alter old ones. They move people around to different locations, then start everyone up again to see what happens. This seems like a sick mind game, but it's all part of an experiment the Strangers hope to learn from.
Another part of the tuning involves the exchange of memories, which a human doctor named Schreber (Keifer Sutherland in a terrific, unnerving performance) has turned into a chemical process. Schreber, who in a voice-over tells us he has betrayed his own kind, is a peon to the Strangers. He removes memories from people, mixes and matches them, and places them in others during the tuning.
One man seems to be exempt from the tuning. He is John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell). Although human, he too is able to tune (the part of the experiment he was in went awry). The only problem is that Murdoch may have murdered several women - or the memory of the murders may have just been implanted into his brain. He tries to prove his innocence while bring pursued by Detective Bumstead (William Hurt). Murdoch also tries to locate his ex-wife Emma (Jennifer Connelly) who, again, may or may not have had the affair that lead to the dissolution of their marriage.
This is a complex plot, I know, but Dark City makes it coherent and intensely absorbing. Here is a fantasy film with real ideas in its head: What constitutes the human soul? Are we merely the sum of our memories - or something more? Is memory enough to determine behavior?
Part of the reason these ideas seem so vivid is that Dark City has not only a lot of style but a lot of atmosphere as well. Everything from the production design to the costumes to the special effects contributes to the paranoia that runs through the story. So many "futuristic" films portray a bleak world. Dark City is different, though; the gloominess adds to the feeling that something is amiss. There's a creepy energy to the movie that really got under my skin. But there is hope as well; Murdoch dreams of finding Shell Beach, a place he enjoyed as a child. Although things often seem hopeless in the city, he believes that he can find that paradise again.
Dark City was directed and co-written by Alex Proyas, who created another unique world in The Crow. Proyas is a master at visuals. He has imagined a world so fantastical that it becomes real in the mind of the viewer. Like any great film, Dark City transports you to a different time and place. Most impressively, the style enhances the substance rather than detracting from it. While the concept of memory altering is mind-boggling, the visuals bring it chillingly alive.
Dark City is one of those movies that comes out of nowhere and totally surprises you. I expected another cheesy piece of futuristic gloom, but instead found an intelligent, totally entertaining masterpiece of fantasy. There are a lot of surprises to be found here: the reason for the Stranger's experiments, the revelation of where the city really is located, the fates of the humans who live there. I found myself chuckling with joy at the way Dark City kept catching me off guard. The Science Fiction/Fantasy genre is rarely viewed as an art form except by those in its core fan base. Dark City proves that it is not only an art form, but - when done right - a challenging one.
(
out of four)
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