This is the movie that confirmed that Alex Proyas has a cult following. It is a sci-fi film noir that was written by Alex Proyas, Lenn Dobbs and David Goyer, and Alex also directed the movie.
The film was visually inspired by German Expressionist films such as Metropolis (1927), Nosferatu (1921) and M (1931).
The morphing of the city landscape in Dark City was an idea by Proyas taken from production of his previous film, The Crow (1993). The film had a rooftop set in which smaller-scale buildings were moved around to create different backgrounds, accomplished by workers out of sight. Proyas recalled the implementation to use in Dark City. The director also included anachronisms in the film, such as a car from the 1980s driving by in the film, set in an earlier era. The city in the film was built from human memories, so the director aimed to blend together various elements to reflect the combination.
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The story is about Murdoch who wakes up in a hotel bathtub suffering from amnesia. Right there the movie begins as Dr. Daniel Schreber tells him to flee the hotel because the strangers are coming for him. Eventually he uncovers his real name, and tracks down his wife Emma (Jennifer Connelly). He is also sought for a series of murders, which he cannot remember, by police inspector Frank Bumstead (William Hurt). Murdoch stays on the move in the city, which experiences perpetual night. He sees people fall comatose at the stroke of midnight, and he is pursued by The Strangers. In the chase, he discovers that he has psychokinetic powers like the Strangers, which he uses to escape from them.
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