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Rounding out the cast is Kiefer Sutherland in one of his most unusual roles as a wimpy, shady scientist whose allegiance to the Strangers is unclear - quite the opposite from his take-no-prisoners (or in his case, terrorists) character of Jack Bauer on 24, the long-running FOX TV show he headlined. Dark City was one of Sutherland’s last notable roles in his flagging film career before switching to television.

Alex Proyas, a TV commercial and video helmer, took on Dark City as his follow-up project after his successful debut, The Crow. While stylized similarly (Proyas sure likes rooftop chases), he has faith in the audience to follow a story without holding their hand, keeping the film taut and exciting. Unfortunately, the studio behind the film, New Line (now under the WB umbrella), did not have as much faith, bickering with Proyas and adding narration in the beginning that spoils one of the film’s biggest twists. It took six years for Proyas to return to Hollywood with the underwhelming and silly Will Smith actioner I, Robot which yet again the studio tampered with (this time it would be Fox). Proyas’ latest film was the fun and underrated Nicolas Cage “the end is nigh” film Knowing, a surprise hit that had one of the best disaster sequences in recent memory.

Dark City had an extensive marketing campaign, with trailers focusing on the visually stunning nature of the film. Unfortunately, audiences did not respond. Maybe it was before its time, but Dark City debuted with a thud on February 27, 1998. Opening in fourth place with $5.6 million (or about $9.5 million today), it quickly fell out of theaters, ending up with a puny $14.4 million total ($24.4 million adjusted). With $12.8 million grossed from overseas, the worldwide tally was exactly the same as the $27 million production budget.

Critics responded better with a 77% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert called it the best film of the year. While New Line could have brushed off Dark City, as it was released the same year as the studio’s hits The Wedding Singer, Rush Hour, Blade, Pleasantville, and American History X, they gave the film a great DVD release in the early stages of the disc format, loaded with special features. Gaining traction on the home video market, Dark City grew a following. It was rereleased in 2008 for its ten-year anniversary on Blu-Ray with a Director’s Cut, extending the film 11 minutes and nixing the controversial beginning voice-over (for the purposes of this column I only refer to the theatrical version).

Not a perfect film, Dark City has a wonderful scope and effects that still hold up today – not something most films can brag about. With plot points and themes of the unknown, a man on the run trying to unearth the truth, and romance at its simplest, Dark City is with us and I definitely recommend you seeing it.

Proyas’ city, which looks a bit like Batman’s Gotham City, has a ‘40s style, with ‘50s diners, and a futuristic ambience making it appear almost timeless. Timelessness is what any great movie tries to achieve and out of all of Alex Proyas’ work so far, Dark City holds up the best. It is original, dark, and unafraid to be unconventional. I hope Poryas’ brand of uniqueness in film, unlike the Strangers, is not a dying race.
Verdict: With Us

7 out of 10

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