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Dom Robinson reviews

Dark City

Forget the sun. Forget time. Forget your memories...

Distributed by

Entertainment In Video

Dark City is a dark, psychological thriller which is a follow-up to Alex Proyas' equally-dark The Crow. Rufus Sewell plays John Murdoch, a man who has a rude awakening when he surfaces from his bath to find that he's wanted for a series of brutal murders. He can't remember a thing and that includes all memories of his beautiful wife Emma (Jennifer Connelly).

As he tries to unravel the mysteries of the past which takes him into a bizarre underworld where he is chased by the police (led by William Hurt) and some weird shadow-like men named The Strangers, led by Mr. Hand (Richard O'Brien), there's only one man who can possibly help him - the sinister Doctor Schreber (Kiefer Sutherland).

From then on this film is difficult to describe. There's no doubting that it's a visual feast, it has a promising start and there's some genuinely intriguing moments, but there's just not enough substance to make it last the full 96 minutes. The best moments come at midnight each night when the normal populus take an enforced nap. The building morph all around them and when they awake they don't seem to realise. During this time, John Murdoch is one of the few who doesn't fall asleep and he has to use this time wisely, while coming to terms with the fact that he's adopted some of the 'special powers' that the Strangers use.

The film has a few cameos from Ian Richardson as one of the Strangers, Mr. Book, Australian actor Colin Friels, who you may remember from Ben Elton's Stark as Eddie Walenski and Melissa George as May. She also played Home And Away's Angel.

Several releases down the line and EiV still haven't quite grasped the benefits of anamorphic presenations for all their releases. The Americans had one for their Special Edition, but we are bypassed here - this is a shame as the set design is brilliant. That said, it is one of the better non-anamorphic pictures I have seen. The average bitrate is a fine 5.34Mb/s, occasionally peaking at 9Mb/s.

The sound is very good indeed, with a couple of numbers from actress-cum-chanteuse Jennifer Connelly, one of them being "Sway", recently remade and nearly topping the charts as "(Mucho Mambo) Sway", as part of the Latin dance movement sweeping the charts. However, while the Americans were treated to a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, we only get makeshift Dolby Surround or ProLogic given the particular amplifier in use. I have to ask why, since Surround/Prologic-only is nothing but a backward step.

Extras :

Chapters & Trailer :

A mere 16 chapters cover the 96 minutes of film which isn't enough. The original theatrical trailer is also included.

Languages & Subtitles :

Just one language for this disc - English in Dolby Surround - and with subtitles in the same language.

'Making of' featurette :

A five-minute 'making of' featurette is included but it's more like an extended trailer and doesn't offer any more insight into the film.

What's missing ? :

Stacks of things. We are asked to pay twenty notes for the UK release, but as well as an anamorphic transfer and a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack the Americans got a lot more for their dollar :

Menu :

The menu is static and silent with a dull menu that's meant to represent cog-wheels as featured in the film.

Even if you're a fan of this film I can't recommend it over the American release, unless you've no intention to buy into Dolby Digital sound, widescreen television and like being fleeced of £20. If you've not seen the film before and have a taste for the bizarre then I'd recommend you rent it. If you still like it and have the requisite hardware, buy the Region 1 DVD.

For those interested in Alex Proyas' previous work, a review of The Crow (PAL Laserdisc) can be found online by clicking on the title. 

FILM	 		: **½
PICTURE QUALITY 	: ****
SOUND QUALITY		: ****
EXTRAS			: *½
-------------------------------
OVERALL			: ***

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 1999.

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Recent Posts

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Andy Serkis Batman Benedict Cumberbatch call of duty Calvin Harris Chris Hemsworth Dave Bautista doctor who Domhnall Gleeson doom Drake E3 2017 E3 2018 Ed Sheeran grand theft auto Grand Theft Auto V GTA gta5 gta 5 gta v Idris Elba Inside No.9 Jenna Coleman Jennifer Lawrence Jess Glynne Justin Bieber los santos Michael Fassbender Murray Gold Oscar Isaac Peter Capaldi Reece Shearsmith rockstar Sam Smith Samuel L. Jackson Scarlett Johansson Sia Stan Lee Stanley Tucci star wars Steven Moffat Steve Pemberton Taylor Swift Toby Jones Woody Harrelson

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