Chaplin
Better off silent
For the final film of my week, I've chosen one of the better science fiction movies of the last 10 years...
SYNOPSIS: John Murdock (Rufus Sewell) awakes in a hotel room with no clue who he is and why he is there--especially since there is a dead body along with him. Hunted by a policeman (William Hurt) for murders he may or may not have committed, John desperately tries to piece his life together. But things get more confusing for him--what does he have to do with a strange doctor (Kiefer Sutherland) and beings known simply as The Strangers?
The acting is great as well. Nobody goes over the top, although Kiefer Sutherland has some fun with a character that is neurotic and constantly fearful of everything. It is a performance we're not used to seeing from him, as in the past he always plays the same kind of character, a variation on his lead vampire in The Lost Boys. He usually has little feeling, and seems downright mean in his other roles. As Doctor Schrieber, though, he is very vulnerable, even though he has a connection to the mysterious and evil Strangers.
Rufus Sewell does not get a lot of work these days--basically this film, Dangerous Beauty and A Knight's Tale are his most major works. He doesn't have the kind of leading man persona that Hollywood likes, but that enhances his ability in this movie to be an "everyman"--in direct contrast to his actual role in the film as something "more" than human.
The supporting cast does some good work as well--this film essentially marked Jennifer Connelly's return to acting, and she does a credible job as Murdoch's wife, and William Hurt and Richard O'Brien (from Rocky Horror fame) do terrific jobs playing the policeman who starts to believe and one of the Strangers, whose obssession about Murdoch leads to his downfall.
But the real star of the story is the city itself. Alex Proyas, director of the Crow, is a master of atmosphere, the city in Dark City is dark, oppressive and generally not the most fun place to live. Proyas uses extensive miniatures, and they work to great effect. The city is a hybrid of 1940s New York City and modern day downtown Detroit--it is a dark and dangerous place, but everyone wears trenchcoats and fedoras. The Strangers mold and shape the city every day (called "tuning"), but it still maintains its stark beauty.
The special effects are amazing--especially toward the end when Murdock finally figures out just who he is and what the Strangers (and the city itself) are. The climactic final battle is quite impressive.
All in all, this is a very satisfying movie experience--it is a movie that is entertaining, but also requires the audience to use their brains. Highly recommended.
SYNOPSIS: John Murdock (Rufus Sewell) awakes in a hotel room with no clue who he is and why he is there--especially since there is a dead body along with him. Hunted by a policeman (William Hurt) for murders he may or may not have committed, John desperately tries to piece his life together. But things get more confusing for him--what does he have to do with a strange doctor (Kiefer Sutherland) and beings known simply as The Strangers?
The acting is great as well. Nobody goes over the top, although Kiefer Sutherland has some fun with a character that is neurotic and constantly fearful of everything. It is a performance we're not used to seeing from him, as in the past he always plays the same kind of character, a variation on his lead vampire in The Lost Boys. He usually has little feeling, and seems downright mean in his other roles. As Doctor Schrieber, though, he is very vulnerable, even though he has a connection to the mysterious and evil Strangers.
Rufus Sewell does not get a lot of work these days--basically this film, Dangerous Beauty and A Knight's Tale are his most major works. He doesn't have the kind of leading man persona that Hollywood likes, but that enhances his ability in this movie to be an "everyman"--in direct contrast to his actual role in the film as something "more" than human.
The supporting cast does some good work as well--this film essentially marked Jennifer Connelly's return to acting, and she does a credible job as Murdoch's wife, and William Hurt and Richard O'Brien (from Rocky Horror fame) do terrific jobs playing the policeman who starts to believe and one of the Strangers, whose obssession about Murdoch leads to his downfall.
But the real star of the story is the city itself. Alex Proyas, director of the Crow, is a master of atmosphere, the city in Dark City is dark, oppressive and generally not the most fun place to live. Proyas uses extensive miniatures, and they work to great effect. The city is a hybrid of 1940s New York City and modern day downtown Detroit--it is a dark and dangerous place, but everyone wears trenchcoats and fedoras. The Strangers mold and shape the city every day (called "tuning"), but it still maintains its stark beauty.
The special effects are amazing--especially toward the end when Murdock finally figures out just who he is and what the Strangers (and the city itself) are. The climactic final battle is quite impressive.
All in all, this is a very satisfying movie experience--it is a movie that is entertaining, but also requires the audience to use their brains. Highly recommended.
