I remember when this came out. My late husband and I went to the cinema to see it. (I'm the world's most ardent K. Sutherland fan and no way was I not gonna be first in line to see THIS one.) I still remember how the sun felt after, when we walked out of the cinema. And I remember that day with him every time I've watched it since. RIP SBZ RIP DSutherland.
I remember the first time I saw this movie. I was 16 and absolutely loved it. This movie has been in my collection for most of my life and I still regularly watch it.
I so adore this movie. I've had it on DVD for years and recently upgraded to blu ray. I hope eventually this gets a 4k release with new commentary and deleted scenes and behind the scenes content.
This was one of the most surprising movies I ever saw. When my sons were younger we just picked a movie and it was great. It is as others say criminally underrated.
One huge thing you missed about why it didn't fare well at the box office was James Cameron's "Titanic". That film dominated the box office for about 4 months and it's all anyone would speak about. Not to mention when a studio dumps off a film in February it's done so because there is no confidence in it and a February premier is a death sentence.
I'm not a fan of reboots and remakes, but this would be a great candidate for that. Because CGI has gotten so much better since it was made. An opportunity for better climax and transformation shots.
Unfortunately for Dark City it was made during a time when DVD sales was thought worth considering by studios, and no one even dreamt of in-home high quality streaming services.
Dark City felt more like Strange Days or Blade Runner. More a Noir Cyberpunk. Where Matrix was more mainstream action Cyberpunk. I love all of these movies nonetheless.
Regarding number 2. I was very fortunate. You see I LOVED this movie but my mate who I went to see this with didn't which I thought odd since we both love the same stuff. Well, it just so happened we had a Burger King beforehand so I was full of coke and needed a pee just after the adverts, so I missed the whole spoiler at the start of the film! It really made a HUGE difference because I was like wow and he was meh. Whatever absolute Fing Rard thought putting a massive spoiler at the start of a film was a good idea I wish I could give a running kick to the billabongs too!
I always thought Dark City and The Matrix shared the concept of "what if your entire reality was an artificial construct?" with DC a fantasy exploration of the idea & The Matrix a sci-fi one - but I never realized the parallels went so deep as Matrix being a knock-off, as this video points out. PS - DC is IMHO a true masterpiece & one of my five "desert island" movies 😃
The Director's Cut of Dark City is simply one of the greatest science-fiction films ever made. I saw the theatrical release first, in the theaters, and still loved it. But when the DC DVD came out a few years later, I grabbed it up and was blown away by it. I had already been telling people about it, but when I got that DVD, I began to sit people down and make them watch it. They all loved it. This is probably my favorite film. I liked the original Matrix just fine. But I've always been a Dark City man.
@@jedijessic Donald Sutherland had a unique style that made him a great character actor. You can see him playing a psychotic in Backdraft. He's the main bad guy in The Hunger Games. There are a ton of great movies of his from the 70's and 80's, like Ordinary People which is a 4 time academy award winner. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) was a remake of the 1956 movie of the same name. He really made that movie as terrifying as it was. And it was terrifying!
@@jedijessicI agree! He could scare the shit out of you like the last scene in Invasion of The Body Snatchers to playing the Southern drunk lawyer who comes out of retirement in A Time to Kill. Fine actor, he ran the gamut and then some. R.I.P.
@@chrisbentley3988 He took a lot of queues from late, great character actor Peter Lorre. I dunno if that was in the script or if it was something Kiefer Sutherland pursued himself but yeah, he did a great job.
Her lounge scene confirmed for me as a teenager that I was a dy__. So sultry, her body barely moving......wow. Some 40+ years later it still moves me. I was hardly surprised when her career skyrocketed and continued over the decades. Not just a pretty face (voice?) I just realized I have no idea if she was the real singer.....Anyone know ?
@@shannonmcstormy5021 well, here's the thing, which version did you watch, if you've only seen the original version, that's not her singing, but it is her in the Director's cut. if you haven't heard the DC version Jennifer's voice is a bit deeper, a little more raw, and if you ask me, sultrier
Not every attractive actress fits the role or in the universe presented in the movie. He was talking about that, not about her being attractive in general.
@@DonMachado Come on! It's just a medium-level action flick pretending to be sci-fi and the "philosophic" discussions are shallow at best, pretentious and silly at... well, at best. They're already at worst. It's a fun movie, but literally nothing beyond that, like all (the Matrix better than most) Wachowsky's brothers movies. BTW, yes, the movie "philosophy" is cliche and trite, mere quotes of so-called thinkers read in summary philosophy handbooks, but that doesn't mean that philosophy as a whole is not a dumpster fire of vanity and idiocy, which it is. You want actual thinking, go to science, the humanities are just, well... idiotic.
Nope... 'The Cowboy Way' came out in 2001. @VetSGT was right mentioning Rodeos... Sutherland bought a ranch in Montana during the '90s and did indeed tour the Rodeo Circuit so put the skills he learned on the set of 1988's 'Young Guns' into this passion project.
Mask of the Evil Apparition, a short film written and directed by Proyas, set in the Dark City cinematic universe, was released in 2021. During a Q&A session after a screening of the short film, Proyas revealed he was in the early stages of developing a Dark City series.
That was a great basic DVD that was full of cool features. I especially loved the movie review of "Metropolis" by H.G. Wells where he essentially trashed the film.
Roger Ebert was one of the only film critics i ever respected (even if i didn't always agree with him). partly because of this and also because of his championing of animation in general and anime specifically. He had even dedicated entire episodes of his show to gush over animated films.
I love seeing this movie in the theater in 1998. The score, the sets, the cinematography, and the special effects were creepy and cool. RIP to Kiefer Sutherland's father, Donald.
Dark City is one of my favorite movies. I saw it in theaters, and I love listening to the Ebert commentary track. I also appreciate the restoration of Jennifer Connelly's singing in the Director's cut. This film has seemed like it fit well with Jean-Pierre Jeunet's films of Delicatessen and City of Lost Children, and of course Brazil, films that normalize unreality.
I saw City of Lost Children and Dark City fairly close together back in the day, and agree the vibe is nicely similar, with the Jeunet film feeling even farther detached from normal reality.
Totally underrated movie! I loved Kiefer Sutherland in this, his performance was straight up Peter Lorre. Which fit nicely with the 40s noir theme of the movie.
One of my three favourite movies of all time (the other two being Donnie Darko and Robot Monster). I just can't imagine anybody else playing Murdoch other than Rufus Sewell. And of course Richard O'Brien was amazing as Mr. Hand.
I was lucky enough to see that one in theaters. It was definetly a trip, and has become one of my favorite films. I often ask people--to this day--"Do you know how to get to Shell Beach?"
I think I either also saw the directors cut first, or for some reason I missed the opening narration, because the first time I saw it, I don't remember the narration. It was upon rewatching that I first saw the narration sequence. It's much better without it.
Very groovy, Minty! I was working at a theater in 1998 and I’ll never forget the trailer. It was a work of art that completely intrigued me. I thought “From the director of The Crow? I was sold!” I loved it as much as Roger Ebert and even snagged the poster! I don’t think I’ve sat down to watch Dark City in a long time but now you’ve got me wanting to treat myself to a rewatch. I’m looking at Proyas’s IMDB page and it really sucks that he hasnt directed a feature film since 2016, but it’s cool that he’s made 4 short films. Anywho, thank you for all the trivia. It keeps this movie geek happy.
My favorite line: Mr. Hand : But I wanted to know what it was like... how you feel. John Murdoch : You know how I was supposed to feel. That person isn't me... never was. You wanted to know what it was about us that made us human. Well, you're not going to find it... [Murdoch points at his head] John Murdoch : ...in here. You were looking in the wrong place. Whats yours?:
John Murdock is almost literally a blank slate, except for his moral and kind nature, and his talent. It was a great choice to cast Rufus Sewell. O'Brian and Southerland were also genius strokes of casting!
I saw Dark City in the theater at least four times. And I went to WorldCon in Baltimore that year and saw the world premiere of the director’s cut. Kudos Minty for bringing attention to this excellent movie! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
@@jasonking4146 Director’s cut, for sure. I would have much preferred to suss out what was going on on my own instead of having it spoon fed by a voiceovers. 🤷🏻♂️
I told people I loved a sci-fi movie from the late 1990s where it turns out the world, as we know it, is an illusion controlled by shadowy figures, and in which a black-clad trench-coated hero discovers the truth and gains super powers to fight the shadowy figures. Of course, I was talking about _Dark City_ .
I remember being so excited for this movie! As a kid I used to entertain and even make friends because of my own comic strip superhero character I created. All the characters were bugs and they lived in a city built inside a huge hollowed out mountain called Cavern City. Seeing the city in Dark City was pretty much like seeing what was in my head for Cavern City!
Always enjoyed this movie and the Noir ambiance. Rufus Sewell was excellent and even watching it today, I look back on his performance and appreciate it.
Here’s one thing I know about Dark City, it was friggin’ awesome!!!! Saw this banger in the theater opening night with no idea what it was about and had my mind blown proper😁
@@NeedMorePlebs You don't get the overdub at the start which ruins the mystery. A few scenes are longer, for character development. The former is the important part. Modern audiences will probably figure things out pretty quickly but it's still nice not to be insulted at the start of the film with "I know you're too dumb to understand what's about to happen, so let me just tell you up front..."
I always felt the inspiration for The Strangers came from the Space Guild guys from the classic DUNE (1984) movie. They look identical (except when they wear hats), and even walk like them. Great vid Minty, thanks for making it!
Dark City was definitely an inspiration for the Matrix such a wondrously dark fantasy and it makes you think about important issues like identity and who is really in power , i just love this film and how it inspires you to think about what is really real around you great review Minty i always enjoy coming here for your great insights into movies . CHEERS mate .
Back then I had a good friend from my grade school years who I also worked with at a used music store that was massively into Dark City. We went to see it together in the theaters. I really enjoyed it but was not surprised when it wasn't a massive hit. It's a great film, but definitely a thinking person's flick. Later in 1998 that friend moved from the Midwest US to Sacramento, California, I took a different job, moved out of my parents house and so on. He came back to visit in 1999 on the weekend that The Matrix premiered. I had been so busy with life I knew nothing about it. He and I went to go see it on that opening weekend and we were both completely blown away! Back then it impressed me so much I went back the next weekend and took my father along with me! So while my friend and I were both big fans of Dark City, even before it was released, we nearly completely forgot about it for years after The Matrix debuted!
Yes! This and Split Second, for some reason I remember fondly seeing in the theater, but almost everyone else has no idea wtf I'm talking about. F*king classic!
@@darrenbent7601 I didn't find her attractive in Requiem, not because Jennifer isn't hot, but her story arc was so depressing, it ruined her for that movie
Jennifer Connelly became one of my all time favourite actresses way back in 1986, because of the little known movie (at the time), Labyrinth. This movie is in my top 10 collection of hers, amongst others like Phenomenon, Etoile, Dark Water, The Day The Earth Stood Still, Some Girls, The Rocketeer.... It is such an underrated surreal noir movie, a real gem.
I really love this odd movie. When it was released back then, it was totally buried, hidden, so I totally missed it then. I've now seen it several times, and the piecing together of the mystery is the fascinating part.
Fun fact: when Kief was learning his roping, he was driving everybody nuts backstage. At one point, he roped some poor little PA with full hands and tripped her. He did feel awful after, but dude... And it's not random. He was a cowboy for a couple years. Remember??
THANK YOU! I've been asking in the comment section for years for you to do this! One of my favorite movies and I think the most underrated movie ever made!
I saw this in the theaters when I was 16 and definitely did not appreciate it at the time. I revisited it years later and was blown away. It's definitely the best of 1998 and one of the best from the 90s period.
The scene where the cars all stop is filmed at the Rocks in Sydney, where the old warehouses are. I loved this film at the time and its still one of my favourites. A classic full of neo noir 90s cool
I'm with Roger Ebert on this one. It's deep, creative, and the mystery had a great payoff at the end. It's akin to hard core SciFi where it's not meant for mainstream audience and only for those who seeks an adventure into the unknown. These movies has to be fiercely supported by those of us who rest in that small demographic and I happily bought various DVD and BluRay formats since I saw this in the theaters.
@jrbarmett2453 Kiefer Sutherland actually competed in Rodeo events and was an accomplished Roper , it was after The Cowboy way and he was still doing it when he made this . DARK CITY is an awesome movie is what i came here to say .
This movie had some of the most interesting visuals and concepts. Also, Jennifer Connelly.
Yes, also Jennifer Connelly 😍
The perfect noir lady herself...
You misspelled "including"
I gotta fart
Labyrinth forever
I remember when this came out. My late husband and I went to the cinema to see it. (I'm the world's most ardent K. Sutherland fan and no way was I not gonna be first in line to see THIS one.) I still remember how the sun felt after, when we walked out of the cinema. And I remember that day with him every time I've watched it since. RIP SBZ RIP DSutherland.
I remember the first time I saw this movie. I was 16 and absolutely loved it. This movie has been in my collection for most of my life and I still regularly watch it.
Love it. and Jennifer is absolutely gorgeous in Dark City.
I so adore this movie. I've had it on DVD for years and recently upgraded to blu ray. I hope eventually this gets a 4k release with new commentary and deleted scenes and behind the scenes content.
This was one of the most surprising movies I ever saw. When my sons were younger we just picked a movie and it was great. It is as others say criminally underrated.
I was lucky enough to see it in cinema in '98. Was game changing, but you're correct '99 had so many bangers it was soon overlooked.
If you liked this movie, I cannot recommend enough the anime movie Urusei Yatsura movie 2 Beautiful Dreamer.
One huge thing you missed about why it didn't fare well at the box office was James Cameron's "Titanic". That film dominated the box office for about 4 months and it's all anyone would speak about. Not to mention when a studio dumps off a film in February it's done so because there is no confidence in it and a February premier is a death sentence.
One of my all time favorites another one is The Thirteenth Floor.
One of my all time favorite movies
I'm not a fan of reboots and remakes, but this would be a great candidate for that. Because CGI has gotten so much better since it was made. An opportunity for better climax and transformation shots.
Bruce Spence got into Dark City and Matrix sequels.
Fantastic film. We need more of these types. There is no creativity anymore and the "suites" are clueless to what makes a good film.
Great Movie! I went to see it 5 days in a row when it came out!
Unfortunately for Dark City it was made during a time when DVD sales was thought worth considering by studios, and no one even dreamt of in-home high quality streaming services.
One of the things I didn't know about Dark City was the existence of the movie Dark City. But I think I'll check it out now!
you should. its well worth the watch. especially if you like darker noir style movies
Hey Minty, Did you see Baby, Secret of the lost legend when you were a kid?
Saw this in the theatre when it came out and loved it
Dark City felt more like Strange Days or Blade Runner. More a Noir Cyberpunk. Where Matrix was more mainstream action Cyberpunk. I love all of these movies nonetheless.
Regarding number 2. I was very fortunate. You see I LOVED this movie but my mate who I went to see this with didn't which I thought odd since we both love the same stuff. Well, it just so happened we had a Burger King beforehand so I was full of coke and needed a pee just after the adverts, so I missed the whole spoiler at the start of the film! It really made a HUGE difference because I was like wow and he was meh. Whatever absolute Fing Rard thought putting a massive spoiler at the start of a film was a good idea I wish I could give a running kick to the billabongs too!
I always thought Dark City and The Matrix shared the concept of "what if your entire reality was an artificial construct?" with DC a fantasy exploration of the idea & The Matrix a sci-fi one - but I never realized the parallels went so deep as Matrix being a knock-off, as this video points out. PS - DC is IMHO a true masterpiece & one of my five "desert island" movies 😃
Absolutely love Rufus Sewell❤
This is a criminally underrated film.
100%
Yeah, everyone underrating this movie should be imprisoned.
Because criminally. 😊
As tired as the “underrated” thing is I’d agree on this one, it’s a bit obscure having released so near to The Matrix.
It's a cult classic day one
I loved it because it didn’t over explain.
Dark City is probably one of my favorite movies. It's definitely in the top ten and extremely underrated.
It's underrated because nobody from Shell Beach has seen the movie. 😅
Agreed and agreeed. It’s an amazing and actually unique idea
Its a very good movie. It reminds me of a cross between the matrix and the city of lost children
I also totally agree. Very underrated. When I first saw this movie. I was instantly hooked.
Definitely one of my very favorites.
My top three Jennifer Connelly movies: Labyrinth, The Rocketeer, and Dark City.
Thanks for over 100 likes! (Sep 18, 2024)
Not the one where she takes her top off?!?
Dark City; Waking the Dead; Top Gun: Maverick
ua-cam.com/video/co1yOV4AOJc/v-deo.html
Requiem for a Dream...
@@fbauzo024fb wasn't that a beautiful story for ugly children!
The Director's Cut of Dark City is simply one of the greatest science-fiction films ever made. I saw the theatrical release first, in the theaters, and still loved it. But when the DC DVD came out a few years later, I grabbed it up and was blown away by it. I had already been telling people about it, but when I got that DVD, I began to sit people down and make them watch it. They all loved it. This is probably my favorite film.
I liked the original Matrix just fine. But I've always been a Dark City man.
I didn’t know the director’s cut was significantly different.
This was the CRITERION EDITION you are referring to? I expect this movie to be in that format.
This and "The Thirteenth Floor". Another great one that's underrated are some of my fav's
I agree!👍
Yes!!
Nice double feature you got lined up there!
Yes!
Both are better then matrix. No need for filler fighting scenes but story telling
Thanks. Saw it in the theater and was blown AWAY! Everytime I show it to somebody who hasn't seen it, they ask "how did I not know about this??" ❤❤❤
Saw it in theaters too! This was when I was 20 and punk/goth, so this spooky movie looked perfect for my crowd, and man was it ever!
I also saw it in theaters. One of the best movies ever made.
I saw it in theaters too, it seems like yesterday. I wish it was.
@@michaelrussom6463 I remember titanic was playing there too, probably one reason it wasn't seen
@@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat Funny, I actually ended up seeing that in the same theater.
*"Invasion of the Body Snatchers"*
(1978) deserves a Minty Top 10
episode, with the recent passing of leading star Donald Sutherland.
MASH and Space Cowboys are the only movies of his I've seen.
@@jedijessic Donald Sutherland had a unique style that made him a great character actor. You can see him playing a psychotic in Backdraft. He's the main bad guy in The Hunger Games. There are a ton of great movies of his from the 70's and 80's, like Ordinary People which is a 4 time academy award winner. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) was a remake of the 1956 movie of the same name. He really made that movie as terrifying as it was. And it was terrifying!
@@jedijessicI agree! He could scare the shit out of you like the last scene in Invasion of The Body Snatchers to playing the Southern drunk lawyer who comes out of retirement in A Time to Kill. Fine actor, he ran the gamut and then some. R.I.P.
@@jedijessic- Animal House is another great one!
I concur
"You are probably wondering why I keep appearing in your memories, John. It is because I have inserted myself into them."
With a bunch of spaces in between. Keifer nailed his character. So unique!
That twist was so boss.
@@chrisbentley3988 He took a lot of queues from late, great character actor Peter Lorre. I dunno if that was in the script or if it was something Kiefer Sutherland pursued himself but yeah, he did a great job.
One of the greatest sf films perhaps better than The Matrix.
Understatement of the year "Jennifer Connelly has a great look"
Her lounge scene confirmed for me as a teenager that I was a dy__. So sultry, her body barely moving......wow. Some 40+ years later it still moves me. I was hardly surprised when her career skyrocketed and continued over the decades. Not just a pretty face (voice?) I just realized I have no idea if she was the real singer.....Anyone know ?
@@shannonmcstormy5021 well, here's the thing, which version did you watch, if you've only seen the original version, that's not her singing, but it is her in the Director's cut. if you haven't heard the DC version Jennifer's voice is a bit deeper, a little more raw, and if you ask me, sultrier
Not every attractive actress fits the role or in the universe presented in the movie. He was talking about that, not about her being attractive in general.
@@ares395I agree. He was refering to her having that classic noir look, almost in the Bacall or Gene Tierney mould.
@@Jon7763cheers I didn't know this. 👍
The Matrix pretends to be cerebral.
Dark City IS cerebral.
If you don't think The Matrix was cerebral, then you don't know much about the movie.
@@DonMachado Come on! It's just a medium-level action flick pretending to be sci-fi and the "philosophic" discussions are shallow at best, pretentious and silly at... well, at best. They're already at worst. It's a fun movie, but literally nothing beyond that, like all (the Matrix better than most) Wachowsky's brothers movies.
BTW, yes, the movie "philosophy" is cliche and trite, mere quotes of so-called thinkers read in summary philosophy handbooks, but that doesn't mean that philosophy as a whole is not a dumpster fire of vanity and idiocy, which it is.
You want actual thinking, go to science, the humanities are just, well... idiotic.
@@DonMachado the matrix is really good but is a mixed of things coming from Dark City, ghost in the shell even more and others sci fi
Dark City is one of the failed attempts of the machines to implement the Matrix.
@@M0butu Yes!!
Keifer doing the lasso was probably a skill he picked up filming the Cowboy Way. RIP Donald Sutherland😔
I forgot he did that movie. I wanted to say he probably had a job at Disneyland as a trick lasso cowboy. Like Steve Martin did.
Cowboy way, and or Young Guns and YG2
That's some young guns shit.
Keifer also used to do rodeos….legit roping champion
Nope... 'The Cowboy Way' came out in 2001. @VetSGT was right mentioning Rodeos... Sutherland bought a ranch in Montana during the '90s and did indeed tour the Rodeo Circuit so put the skills he learned on the set of 1988's 'Young Guns' into this passion project.
Mask of the Evil Apparition, a short film written and directed by Proyas, set in the Dark City cinematic universe, was released in 2021. During a Q&A session after a screening of the short film, Proyas revealed he was in the early stages of developing a Dark City series.
I'd watch that.
🤔
Doesn't need it.
Poor Rufus, this is like the only time he got to play a good guy, I can only recall him being a villain from this point on.
He deserved better from Hollywood.
Amazing Grace he was a good guy :)
Real actors don't care if they're playing a 'good' or 'bad' character.
Probably because of his villainy mug.
In The Rock's "Hercules" he turned out to be pretty solid in the end.
Underrated gem. The Ebert commentary on the DVD version (back in the day) was awesome. A great insight as he breaks down the scenes.
I pretty much went with whatever Ebert recommended after that DVD commentary. I was never disappointed.
That was a great basic DVD that was full of cool features. I especially loved the movie review of "Metropolis" by H.G. Wells where he essentially trashed the film.
Roger Ebert was one of the only film critics i ever respected (even if i didn't always agree with him). partly because of this and also because of his championing of animation in general and anime specifically. He had even dedicated entire episodes of his show to gush over animated films.
Love this movie!
One of my favorite movies from my childhood!
Also Kiefer Sutherland is in the movie.
RIP to his dad, Donald Sutherland, 1935-2024.
Kiefer's Dad died yesterday. RIP. Donald and Kiefer are Great Canadians.
Kiefer Sutherland is also famously Tommy Douglas’ grandson on his mother’s side. In real life, “Jack Bauer” is a Canadian socialist.
Donald did some brilliant work
Body snatcher???
I thought they were Limeys. At least the old fart who apparently recently kicked the bucket.
I love seeing this movie in the theater in 1998. The score, the sets, the cinematography, and the special effects were creepy and cool. RIP to Kiefer Sutherland's father, Donald.
Lucky you. That must have been a good time.
I would see it this weekend if they re-released it into theaters.
Dark City is one of my favorite movies. I saw it in theaters, and I love listening to the Ebert commentary track. I also appreciate the restoration of Jennifer Connelly's singing in the Director's cut.
This film has seemed like it fit well with Jean-Pierre Jeunet's films of Delicatessen and City of Lost Children, and of course Brazil, films that normalize unreality.
I saw City of Lost Children and Dark City fairly close together back in the day, and agree the vibe is nicely similar, with the Jeunet film feeling even farther detached from normal reality.
I’d agree it’s a classic, one of my very favorites, but most people I ever talk to have no clue what it even is.
Totally underrated movie! I loved Kiefer Sutherland in this, his performance was straight up Peter Lorre. Which fit nicely with the 40s noir theme of the movie.
I definitely got a Lorre vibe from him.
I would guess Kiefer learned the lasso for "Young Guns"
Kiefer was in The Cowboy Way where his character was a competitive roper.
@@chrishuber3372 totally forgot that one - now I need to go watch it again
@@code-chimpyeah! It is a good comedy.
Jennifer Connelly was the Original “Woman In a red dress”
Minty should have worn a black trench coat and a black derby for the video. And say, "Let's check it out" before waving his hand over the camera.
Love how this movie went from a Gothic mystery suspense thriller into a superhero scifi movie at the end.
Keifer Sutherland was f'ing brilliant in that movie..
One of my three favourite movies of all time (the other two being Donnie Darko and Robot Monster). I just can't imagine anybody else playing Murdoch other than Rufus Sewell. And of course Richard O'Brien was amazing as Mr. Hand.
I was lucky enough to see that one in theaters. It was definetly a trip, and has become one of my favorite films.
I often ask people--to this day--"Do you know how to get to Shell Beach?"
I think I either also saw the directors cut first, or for some reason I missed the opening narration, because the first time I saw it, I don't remember the narration. It was upon rewatching that I first saw the narration sequence. It's much better without it.
Very groovy, Minty! I was working at a theater in 1998 and I’ll never forget the trailer. It was a work of art that completely intrigued me. I thought “From the director of The Crow? I was sold!” I loved it as much as Roger Ebert and even snagged the poster! I don’t think I’ve sat down to watch Dark City in a long time but now you’ve got me wanting to treat myself to a rewatch. I’m looking at Proyas’s IMDB page and it really sucks that he hasnt directed a feature film since 2016, but it’s cool that he’s made 4 short films. Anywho, thank you for all the trivia. It keeps this movie geek happy.
new proyas film coming in 2025,titled R.U.R
My favorite line:
Mr. Hand : But I wanted to know what it was like... how you feel.
John Murdoch : You know how I was supposed to feel. That person isn't me... never was. You wanted to know what it was about us that made us human. Well, you're not going to find it...
[Murdoch points at his head]
John Murdoch : ...in here. You were looking in the wrong place.
Whats yours?:
I love this movie, got the Director's Cut on Blu-Ray.
John Murdock is almost literally a blank slate, except for his moral and kind nature, and his talent. It was a great choice to cast Rufus Sewell. O'Brian and Southerland were also genius strokes of casting!
The whole concept of mixing peoples memories; altering personalities was truly bizarre. You did see that if simpler films until after Dark City.
Your comment about the strangers as being “cyberpunk Illuminati” was hilarious
I love this movie. Didn't know anything about it till my buddy brought the vhs over.
I saw Dark City in the theater at least four times. And I went to WorldCon in Baltimore that year and saw the world premiere of the director’s cut. Kudos Minty for bringing attention to this excellent movie! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Which is your preferred version?
@@jasonking4146 Director’s cut, for sure. I would have much preferred to suss out what was going on on my own instead of having it spoon fed by a voiceovers. 🤷🏻♂️
The Pre-Matrix
It could have been one of the previous versions of the Matrix. ;)
Falls in the sub-genre of virtual reality movie, same as the matrix
It was, wasn't it.. weird.
@@Theggman83Huh?.
Sadly true.
I told people I loved a sci-fi movie from the late 1990s where it turns out the world, as we know it, is an illusion controlled by shadowy figures, and in which a black-clad trench-coated hero discovers the truth and gains super powers to fight the shadowy figures. Of course, I was talking about _Dark City_ .
I remember being so excited for this movie! As a kid I used to entertain and even make friends because of my own comic strip superhero character I created. All the characters were bugs and they lived in a city built inside a huge hollowed out mountain called Cavern City. Seeing the city in Dark City was pretty much like seeing what was in my head for Cavern City!
Maybe "tuning" in to our own reality...(twilight zone music here)
10 Things You Didn't Know About Cartoon Planet (1995) the Space Ghost Coast To Coast spinoff that been forgotten over time
So glad someone remembers that!
Yeah, it tends to get annoying, just walking down the street to be suddenly lassoed by Kiefer Sutherland and tied to a stop sign.
Always enjoyed this movie and the Noir ambiance. Rufus Sewell was excellent and even watching it today, I look back on his performance and appreciate it.
Here’s one thing I know about Dark City, it was friggin’ awesome!!!! Saw this banger in the theater opening night with no idea what it was about and had my mind blown proper😁
Apparently Denis Villenivue (Dune) used the character models in this movie as inspiration for the Harkonnen in Dune
ALWAYS watch the Director's Cut. They showed this film at The Carolina Theater this past spring. Great to watch it on the big screen.
What is different in the director's cut?
@@NeedMorePlebs You don't get the overdub at the start which ruins the mystery. A few scenes are longer, for character development. The former is the important part. Modern audiences will probably figure things out pretty quickly but it's still nice not to be insulted at the start of the film with "I know you're too dumb to understand what's about to happen, so let me just tell you up front..."
I love seeing this movie Dark City is probably one of my favorite movies.
ALLways and Always LOVED this film!
No more mr Quick. Mr Quick dead, yes.
I always felt the inspiration for The Strangers came from the Space Guild guys from the classic DUNE (1984) movie. They look identical (except when they wear hats), and even walk like them. Great vid Minty, thanks for making it!
Great observation!
Dark City was definitely an inspiration for the Matrix such a wondrously dark fantasy and it makes you think about important issues like identity and who is really in power ,
i just love this film and how it inspires you to think about what is really real around you
great review Minty
i always enjoy coming here for your great insights into movies .
CHEERS mate .
Wasn’t an inspiration to the Matrix, they were both being made at the same time.
The Hollywood guilds are notorious for their ridiculous rules about how many people can be credited for different roles.
Back then I had a good friend from my grade school years who I also worked with at a used music store that was massively into Dark City. We went to see it together in the theaters. I really enjoyed it but was not surprised when it wasn't a massive hit. It's a great film, but definitely a thinking person's flick.
Later in 1998 that friend moved from the Midwest US to Sacramento, California, I took a different job, moved out of my parents house and so on. He came back to visit in 1999 on the weekend that The Matrix premiered. I had been so busy with life I knew nothing about it. He and I went to go see it on that opening weekend and we were both completely blown away! Back then it impressed me so much I went back the next weekend and took my father along with me!
So while my friend and I were both big fans of Dark City, even before it was released, we nearly completely forgot about it for years after The Matrix debuted!
Yes! This and Split Second, for some reason I remember fondly seeing in the theater, but almost everyone else has no idea wtf I'm talking about. F*king classic!
I saw Split Second at the Drive in 😅
...searches "Split Second"
@@369frequencyandvibration Go watch it, it's a great movie. I have it on double VHS with "Wedlock", another fine old Rutger Hauer film.
Damn fine flick and prime Connelly
YES!!!
Labyrinth, Dark City and Dark Water are my top three Jennifer Connelly movies.
@@darrenbent7601 I think her peak look was the Rocketeer. Holy Mother of God, that white dress.
@@nightshiftreports3866 Don't forget about Hot Spot... Career Opportunities and Requiem for a Dream, too.
@@darrenbent7601 I didn't find her attractive in Requiem, not because Jennifer isn't hot, but her story arc was so depressing, it ruined her for that movie
Jennifer Connelly became one of my all time favourite actresses way back in 1986, because of the little known movie (at the time), Labyrinth.
This movie is in my top 10 collection of hers, amongst others like Phenomenon, Etoile, Dark Water, The Day The Earth Stood Still, Some Girls, The Rocketeer.... It is such an underrated surreal noir movie, a real gem.
I really love this odd movie.
When it was released back then, it was totally buried, hidden, so I totally missed it then.
I've now seen it several times, and the piecing together of the mystery is the fascinating part.
Fun fact: when Kief was learning his roping, he was driving everybody nuts backstage. At one point, he roped some poor little PA with full hands and tripped her. He did feel awful after, but dude... And it's not random. He was a cowboy for a couple years. Remember??
THANK YOU! I've been asking in the comment section for years for you to do this! One of my favorite movies and I think the most underrated movie ever made!
ran a vampire campaign based on this.
That sounds so cool
Criminally underrated. I love this movie.
I saw this in the theaters when I was 16 and definitely did not appreciate it at the time. I revisited it years later and was blown away. It's definitely the best of 1998 and one of the best from the 90s period.
I saw a tv cut version of it back in the day and have been addicted to it since then. This is also where I became a fan of Alex Proyas
The scene where the cars all stop is filmed at the Rocks in Sydney, where the old warehouses are. I loved this film at the time and its still one of my favourites. A classic full of neo noir 90s cool
I'm with Roger Ebert on this one. It's deep, creative, and the mystery had a great payoff at the end. It's akin to hard core SciFi where it's not meant for mainstream audience and only for those who seeks an adventure into the unknown. These movies has to be fiercely supported by those of us who rest in that small demographic and I happily bought various DVD and BluRay formats since I saw this in the theaters.
Great choice
I loved Dark City,the more you watch it,the more you seem to discover! Another really interesting movie is INK!
R.i.p. Donald Sutherland.
In my humble opinion, I would compare Dark City to be as cinematically important as Metropolis.
A criminally underrated movie
One of my favorite movies. I always thought Jennifer Connelly was the main character. 😊
I'm glad that I was one of the people who actually saw Dark City in the theater, and I've been a fan ever since, owning a copy of it on VHS and DVD.
I have the director's cut on dvd, because Jennifer Connelly is actually singing in that version.
I think Keiffer was prepping for the Cowboy Way.
@jrbarmett2453 Kiefer Sutherland actually competed in Rodeo events and was an accomplished Roper , it was after The Cowboy way and he was still doing it when he made this . DARK CITY is an awesome movie is what i came here to say .
Thanks for the video Minty!
One of my favorites and this was criminally underrated when it came out.
Dark City and eXistenZ fucked me up in the best of ways
Amazing visuals in this one!!
Thanks Minty!
Alex is legendary. The Crow and Dark City.