DARK CITY 1998
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1998 Timothy Voon
2 :-) :-) for the lingering stuff of dreams
Cast: Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard O'Brien, Ian Richardson, William Hurt Director: Alex Proyas Producers: Andrew Mason and Alex Proyas Screenplay: Alex Proyas and Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer Cinematography: Dariusz Wolski
There's something surreal about the world of DARK CITY. It has a deja vu feel of a distant memory or a vivid dream. It is always night and at the stroke of twelve, everything stops. Lives are rearranged, memories stolen, as if everything here runs under the influence of some alien clockwork. The imagery is strangely beautiful, mysteriously haunting, and intricately woven into the strangeness of the flow. You continually ask yourself, where is this place? Who are these players? There is no simple answer.
Made in Australia, this is a remarkable achievement in STYLE and should be commended for this, if for anything. Alex Proyas - known for his gothic imagery in THE CROW, has infused this movie with visual images that speak louder than the script. Unfortunately, not many people may take to this kind of story telling. Tastes vary, but this movie may be too imaginative, creative, progressive for some, and unfortunately labelled weird or alternative. This movie is undoubtedly one of the better Australian-made movies this year, (compared to crap, like JOEY and CRACKERS) and is a milestone in visual cinema in itself.
With a budget of only 27 million, the money is well spent and stretched to the limit. Good value has been spent on employing a cast worth their weight in fees. William Hurt gives the movie credibility, Kiefer Sutherland is in one of his better roles, Jennifer Connely has put on weight since THE ROCKETEER and Rufus Sewell has eyes as haunting as the city itself. This movie looks like it had a budget of 50-70 million and it shows that good movies can still be made with only a limited budget.
Timothy Voon
e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au
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