Dark City

"A world where the night never ends. Where man has no past. And humanity has no future."

- Tagline

"They built the city to see what makes us tick. Last night one of us went off."

- Alternate tagline

Dark City is a 1998 science-fiction film directed by Alex Proyas and stars Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly and Richard O'Brien.

A man wakes up in a bathtub with no memories--he doesn't even recall that his name is John Murdoch until he checks his wallet. He finds a dead woman in the bedroom; so when the phone rings and the voice on the other end tells him to get out before "they" come for him, John does so. In spite of the damning evidence, John is convinced that he's not a killer, and he sets out to prove this, while evading the police... and the pale men in dark coats who have taken an interest in him.

Meanwhile, Emma Murdoch is contacted by one Dr. Schreber; he claims to be her husband's doctor and says that he desperately needs to speak with John. But it becomes increasingly unclear whether or not Dr. Schreber is really on John's side.

Meanwhile, Inspector Frank Bumstead is investigating a serial killer targeting streetwalkers--the dead woman in John Murdoch's room was the latest victim. The evidence does seem to paint John as the serial killer, but there are some pieces that just don't fit. Bumstead is beginning to understand why the last detective on this case went insane.

It's going to be a very long night for everyone.

Dark City was not a success upon release, but was adored by critics, notably Roger Ebert, who cited it as the best film of 1998 (one of the few science fiction films he's ever so honored). The film has since gained a cult following.

Also worth noting: The Opening Narration from the original cut spoils the movie to hell. (It was a last-minute addition at the behest of New Line Cinema.) It's recommended that you either watch the Director's Cut (which omits the narration) or mute the opening if you're watching the theatrical version. (Unmute at the closeup of the pocketwatch.) If you want spoilers, check out our synopsis page.

"Crime Scene Cop:"
 * Always Night: Used as a plot point.
 * Aluminum Christmas Trees: Many viewers might not realize that the automat was a real type of dining establishment popular around the middle of the 20th century. They were quite common in the Netherlands and a few are still in operation elsewhere.
 * Amnesiac Lover:
 * Amplifier Artifact:
 * Awesome McCoolname: John Murdoch. More low key but say it and try to say it doesn't sound badass.
 * Badass Longcoat - John, Bimstead and the Strangers.
 * Beam-O-War:
 * Bittersweet Ending/No Endor Holocaust:
 * Blank Book: Stranger made artifacts of John's "childhood".
 * The Chanteuse: Emma.
 * Chekhov's Gun:
 * The Chosen One: John is The Everyman, even compared to the other, quirkier city inhabitants. Most of what makes him important relates to.
 * City in a Bottle: Everybody seems to remember life outside the city, but nobody remembers how to get to any of those places.
 * City Noir: Given this film is a homage to classic Film Noir and German Expressionism, it's to be expected. But there's the added twist that
 * City with No Name
 * Click. "Hello."
 * Closed Circle
 * Creepy Child: Mr. Sleep. (Who was played by a pair of very young fraternal twins.)
 * The Cuckoolander Was Right: Every single word that Detective Eddie Walenski says to anyone turns out to be perfectly true, despite the fact that his partner, Inspector Bumstead, is absolutely right when he describes Walenski as being around the bend.
 * Curse Cut Short: "Maybe you finally found what you're looking for, and it's going to bite you on your aahhggg!"
 * Dark World
 * Days of Future Past: According to the director, although his co-screenwriters have a different interpretation.
 * Doppelganger Replacement Love Interest:
 * Driven to Suicide:
 * Dying Race: The Strangers.
 * Eldritch Abomination:.
 * Eldritch Location
 * End of the World Special
 * Evil Albino: The Strangers. The truth is scarier.
 * Evolutionary Levels
 * Exposition Beam:
 * Fake Memories:.
 * Femme Fatale: Subverted quickly.
 * Five-Bad Band:
 * The Big Bad - Mr. Book
 * The Dragon - Mr. Hand
 * The Evil Genius - Dr. Daniel P. Schreber
 * The Brute - Mr. Wall
 * The Dark Chick and Tagalong Kid - Mr. Sleep
 * Flashback Cut: John's shattered memories of Shell Beach.
 * Foreshadowing: On repeated viewings, a lot of lines and shots can be seen to call forward to the plot twist.

"Bumstead:  I'm being punished for my sins, aren't I?"
 * Glowing Eyes of Doom: A subtle example whenever John uses his powers. Most noticeable right at the end, when his face is completely in shadow.
 * A God Am I
 * Go Mad from the Revelation: Inspector Walenski.
 * Gone Horribly Right: John Murdoch. The Strangers wanted to test humans and see what would happen. Murdoch happened.
 * Guns Are Useless:
 * Happy Place: Shell Beach, which it is implied that several characters, including John, have either lived in or visited in the past.
 * Heel Face Turn:
 * Hive Mind – the Strangers
 * Homage: This film is a love letter to German Expressionism and the classic Film Noir era. See Shout-Out for more details.
 * Info Dump: A well-done one, when Dr. Schreber explains the nature of the City to Murdoch and Bumstead.
 * Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: spoilers.
 * Inspector Javert: Inspector Frank Bumstead. A rather mild example; as devoted as he is to the law and his pursuit of the protagonist, he's far more reasonable.
 * It Was a Gift: Bumstead's accordion, which he got from his late mother.
 * Kryptonite-Proof Suit:
 * Kubrick Stare
 * Lampshade Hanging: At the start of the film, a naked John Murduch picks up his clothes and dresses, and we get a full view of them.
 * Living Labyrinth
 * A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far Far Away
 * Looks Like Orlok: The Strangers (intentionally so since the movie is a visual homage to German Expressionism and Film Noir, with lots of Schizo-Tech.)
 * Merged Reality
 * Mind Screw: The premise is quite disturbing once you really start thinking through its implications.
 * Mind Rape: The entire premise of the mysterious syringes, and brilliantly inverted when Mr. Hand makes use of John's memories to track him down.
 * Mister Strangenoun: All of the Strangers.
 * Naked on Arrival: John Murdoch wakes up in a bathtub.
 * The Night That Never Ends: Not only is it part of the film's atmosphere, it becomes a plot point.
 * Ontological Mystery
 * Parental Abandonment -
 * Person of Mass Destruction
 * Platonic Cave: Natch.
 * Pillar of Light
 * Psychic Powers: "Tuning."
 * Puppeteer Parasite:
 * The Quisling: Dr. Schreber. He's grown tired of it by the time the film comes around, however, and acts like a Reliable Traitor to the Strangers.
 * Reality Warper: The Strangers.
 * Room Full of Crazy: Detective Walenski's bedroom (and, to a lesser extent, his office at the police station).


 * Rousing Speech:
 * Scenery Porn: Admit it, the city, the lighting, the cinematography, it's gorgeous.
 * Shout-Out:
 * To Nosferatu, as each of the Strangers Looks Like Orlok.
 * The Strangers are also partially based on the mob from M.
 * Smoking Is Cool
 * The Stoic: The Strangers are a race of stoics, right off the assembly line with creepy monotones.
 * Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist: Bumstead.
 * Time Stands Still: Whenever the Strangers make a change to the city, the clocks stop at midnight, and everybody except for John falls asleep. It's alluded to in the movie that Walenski remained awake at least once as well, and that's what caused him to go crazy.
 * To Know Him I Must Become Him: Mr. Hand's justification for being injected with John's memories.
 * Took a Level in Badass: John.
 * Transferable Memory: Core to the plot.
 * Undead Child: Mr. Sleep, technically.
 * Upgrade Artifact:
 * Verbal Tic:
 * The Strangers' odd predilection for making clicking noises and ending sentences with the word "yes".
 * Dr. Schreber's! whispery voice and...penchant, for strange... pauses. He seems to be constantly short of breath.
 * Window Love: John and Emma are about to do this.
 * World Gone Mad
 * You Have to Believe Me
 * You Wake Up in a Room: John wakes up in a bathtub, unable to remember who he is.