Movie recommendations: Dark City (1998)

Dark City (1998)

Director: Alex Proyas

Starring...
Rufus Sewell as John Murdoch
Richard O'Brien as Mister Hand
Kiefer Sutherland as Dr. Daniel P. Schreber
William Hurt as Inspector Frank Bumstead
Jennifer Connelly as Emma Murdoch

A $28 million budget art house film that features several actors who have now ascended the ranks of stardom. The story follows John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) who wakes up in a bath tub at the scene of a murder where he soon finds himself pursued by a mysterious group of black clad, pale fleshed men lead by Richard O'Brien (you may know him as the creator, writer, and co-star of the midnight screened, all-time cult favorite musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show) and John must recieve aid from a man claiming to be his doctor (TV's 24 star Kiefer Sutherland). Discovering that the black-clad men (refered to as Strangers) control all that is within the city it is up to John to discover the secret of the city, the Strangers, and why the city never sees daylight. To do this he must discover the location of Shell Beach; the place everyone knows about, but no one seems to remember the directors to.

The film also stars William Hurt as the detective who is placed in charge of the mysterious case, and Jennifer Connelly as the woman who claims to be his wife.

Dark City has over the past 11 years become a cult-favorite, starring actors who have risen in status in recent years, starring film-cult-figure Richard O'Brien, and being the immediate follow-up of director Alex Proyas' critically acclaimed adaptation of The Crow (which starred the late Brandon Lee who died from a technical acident during filming) and Proyas continues to dazzle with low-budget visual flair in this film-noir masterpiece that earned the title of being Roger Ebert's top film of 1998. Alex Proyas may be used as a corporate tool now, having his style severely cut back by studio control (see: I'Robot, and Knowing, both of which are severely different than Proyas' original ideas).

DVD to watch: I strongly recomment the director's cut over the theatrical cut, not so much because of content, but because the pacing of the director's cut is far more