there seem to be two reactions to dark city . you either love it or you are unimpressed . count me as a " love it . " as good as the crow and spawn are , dark city is better . where the former two have a specific comic-book following , the latter is an original work with the potential for broader appeal . it has a similar look to the others , but dark city is much more thoughtful and much less violent . not clever or complex , the story is still fascinating , like a selection from the twilight zone . a man ( rufus sewell ) is awakened in his bathtub by a man with a syringe . surprised , the attacker runs off . the dazed man gets out of the tub and finds a woman's body in the room . a mysterious caller warns him to leave the apartment immediately , so he packs some clothes and leaves , never sure why he's leaving or what he's fleeing . ghoulish figures in long coats recognize the man and chase him through the dark city , hounding him like figures in a nightmare . an odd blast of willpower allows the man to dream himself free from his pursuers long enough to check his i . d . the amnesiac learns that he is not dreaming and that his name is john murdoch . now if only he could remember the rest of his life . . . . dark city is good on many levels . first , the look of the movie is excellent . give credit to production designers george liddle and patrick tatopolous for creating a coherent look from diverse elements . there are visual elements from the american 1920s-60s , mixed with dickens-era urban industrial elements . it is all pulled together in a sad , dark look reminiscent of the diner in edward hopper's painting , nighthawks . proyas' use of models gives an appropriately eerie unreality to the film's world ( for not only does the audience see the city a model , but so do the ghouls ) . the look is like a cross between tim burton's batman and the bleak animation of the brothers quay . second , the editing of the film is good . the pacing is on track , and the plot is revealed , the " amnesia " explained , in satisfying increments . also , the stylized editing within each scene gives the movie a tense , caffeinated look . third , the special effects are well used . they look good , but more importantly , the right effects are used for the right job . one example stands out in my mind : the coated figures who haunt the city can attack telekinetically . a simple ripple effect is used . a more showy effect could have been chosen , but then it would have just been gratuitous . restraint was shown where necessary , letting the more critical effects look more impressive . finally , like gattaca , dark city spends a just a little effort striving for mythical significance . unlike gattaca , the story is just open-ended and non-literal enough to be successful . john murdoch's recovery from amnesia is tied to the passing of the night , and the hopeful coming of the dawn . his struggle with amnesia is both figuratively and literally the struggle of all mankind ( at least in his world ) . when we finally see the big picture of the movie's world , it is as mysterious as the iroquois image of the world being carried on the back of a giant turtle . a few minor flaws keep me from giving this movie the same perfect score roger ebert gave , but i do strongly recommend it , for its look , its pace , its story , and its timelessness .
