Sometimes, a visionary filmmaker is so far ahead of the curve that a masterwork goes unnoticed at the time of its release. Look no further than Alex Proyas’Dark Cityas one of the most glaring examples of the past 30 years. Not only isDark Citya provocative and supremely stylish sci-fi-noir that holds up in its own right, but it also inspired the universally beloved firstMatrixmovie, which was released one year later, makingDark Cityeven more of an afterthought.
Fortunately,Dark Cityisstreaming free on Tubifor a short while longer. For those who missed the movie the first time around and want to see one of the vivid and imaginative science fiction production designs, set decorations, and cinematography that aptly mirror the ambitious subject matter, book a ticket toDark Cityat once.
‘Dark City’s Lofty Premise
Alex Proyas (The Crow) directedDark Cityfrom a script co-written by esteemed writers Lem Dobbs (Kafka) and David S. Goyer (Blade, The Dark Knight). Fusing neo-noir and sci-fi elements, the story follows John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell), who suddenly wakes with amnesia in a bathtub.Murdoch soon learns he’s wanted for a murder he can’t remember if he committed, and becomes the target of a bizarre band of pale, bald “Strangers” who can freeze time, manipulate temporal reality, and “tune” the city by making the inhabitants fall asleep so they can alter their memories.
As Murdoch evades the strangers and tries to remember who he is and why he has been accused of murder, he begins to traverse a hellish, futuristic nocturnal metropolis with Gotham City-like architecture, encountering a slew of unsavory characters. Detective Frank Bumstead (William Hurt) is hot on his heels, creepy scientist Dr. Daniel Schreber (a strong Kiefer Sutherland performance) has ulterior motives, and Murdoch’s wife, Emma (Jennifer Connelly), isn’t what she seems.
With no one to trust, Murdoch soon gains an advantage when he discovers he has the same tuning ability as the strangers. As Murdoch learns to harness his newfound powers, he engages in a stunning psychokinetic battle with the leader of the strangers. Not to spoil the challenging ending,Dark Cityis a paragon of hard sci-fi storytelling and a truly incredible visual achievement.Fans ofThe Matrix, Inception, Brazil, The Thirteenth Floor, The City of Lost Children,or the absolute progenitor, Fritz Lang’sMetropolis, must seeDark CityASAP.
‘Dark City’ Was Too Weird & Challenging For Normal Audiences
Four years beforeDark Citywas released, Alex Proyas found commercial success withThe Crow. Despite being mired in the tragic, on-set death of star Brandon Lee,The Crowdoubled its production budget, grossing over $50 million against a $23 million price tag (viaBox Office Mojo).
Following the success, Proyas overestimated the audience’s capacity to welcome an even more abstract and challenging piece of science fiction that the world was frankly not yet ready for.As such, despite earning rave reviews,Dark Citystruggled to light the theater. The film barely broke even, grossing $27.2 million against a $27 million budget (viaBox Office Mojo).
Before the film was released theatrically, New Line Cinema executives were concerned that the film was too abstract and inaccessible for audiences and asked Proyas to record voice-over narration from Sutherland to help explain what was happening. Proyas reluctantly obliged, saying it was unnecessary to spoon-feed the audience, but removed the voice-over in the 2008 Director’s Cut.
Yet,despite its tepid financial performance,Dark Cityhas rightly emerged as a bona fide sci-fi cult classic in the past two decades. Coupled with rave contemporary reviews, includingRoger Ebert’s 4-star review, comparing it to2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner,andMetropolisfor its remarkable vision,Dark Cityhas overcome its box-office blemishes to become one of Proyas’ best films.
Of course,Dark Cityultimately had to contend for longevity with the Wachowskis' landmark sci-fi hit,The Matrix, released one year later in 1999. Ironically, the Wachowskis were so inspired by the cyberpunk aesthetic ofDark Citythat they purchased multiple props and pieces of the set. Namely, the set-piece involving the rooftop chase inDark Citywas recycled for use inThe Matrix. One thing thatDark Cityarguably does better thanThe Matrixis lean intoits film noir conventions.
Why ‘Dark City’ Deserves Reappraisal
But make no mistake, it’s the noirish elements of the film that make the science fiction aspect work, and vice versa. The symbiosis is reflected in the timeless quality of the city’s architecture. It’s impossible to tell when the movie takes place, thanks to the ’40s and ’50s-style cityscape, which itself pulls from different cities around the world. As Proyas said ofDark City:
“The movie takes place everywhere, and it takes place nowhere. It’s a city built of pieces of cities. A corner from one place, another from some place else. So, you don’t really know where you are. A piece will look like a street in London, but a portion of the architecture looks like New York, but the bottom of the architecture looks again like a European city. You’re there, but you don’t know where you are. It’s like every time you travel, you’ll be lost.”
Unfortunately, despite the admirable ambition, audiences were left a bit too “lost” whenDark Citywas initially released. But when watching the movie in 2025, what stands out the most is the phantasmagorical fusion of science fiction and film noir that continues to challenge audiences nearly 30 years later.
Dark Cityis available to stream on Tubi, Plex, and The Roku Channel.
