It had been a long time since I saw the film last. I kind of wished I had watched it tonight without the extra commentary, then watched it again this weekend with the voice over. Ebert did really open my mind and provide a lot of insight into both how he sees the films, and about the film itself.
In brief Dark City is about a man that wakes up not knowing who he is or how he got where he is. He then has run in's with dark figures called "strangers". It becomes evident really quickly that there is something wrong going on. There is no light. Nights pass without the daytime. Then at midnight everyone falls asleep at the same time and there strangers rearrange the entire city. Buildings, landscapes and even peoples memories. They are using humans as test subjects in attempt to find the cure for their dying race.
There is a lot going on in Dark City. The plot alone would take the entire run time of the film to explain. Here are a few other points. unlike my last review the use of color in this film is entirely in service of the story. The films is a bit of a gritty noir detective film with a sci-fi twist. It has a lot of elements of other specific films, but I think it owes the most to the German Expressionist films of the 20's and 30's.
The performances are all very good. I found Jennifer Connelly a vamp and totally captivating. William Hurt give a good performance as a detective. And Kiefer Sutherland is solid as a mad scientist type. I love this film and can't wait to watch it again. Look out for another review of this movie soon. I won't place it anywhere near as high as Ebert, but I will give it a 4/5 stars. Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.
FYI: This movie must have been a HUGE influence on The Matrix!
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