Dark City (1998)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
John Murdoch	Rufus Sewell
Emma Murdoch / Anna	Jennifer Connelly
Dr. Daniel P. Schreber	Kiefer Sutherland
Inspector Frank Bumstead	William Hurt
Mr. Hans	Richard O'Brien
Mr. Book	Ian Richardson

Review

Overly stylized science fiction yarn which was released to critical acclaim a year before the Wachowski brothers unveiled The Matrix and effectively buried Dark City's reputation as a landmark film. The reasons can probably be boiled down to the following: Where The Matrix felt new and innovative, Dark City felt old and retroactive; its noirish, comic book setup and cardboard narrative cannot match the Wachowski brothers' futuristic, ominous story, and we're left gazing at impressive, semi-creative visuals, inspired by such films as Metropolis and Blade Runner – both of which provide far better value for money. Like The Matrix, they have allegorical relevance – a connection between the fantasy world presented and our real society – something which this film lacks desperately.