"Dark City" is rated R because it's "weird"! ? Fantastic science fiction noir celebrating its 20th anniversary

*This article touches on the details of the story, so if you haven't seen it yet, we recommend that you enjoy it after watching the movie.

"Dark City" synopsis

John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) wakes up at the scene of a gruesome murder with no memory, and soon learns that he is being chased by various people, including the police and a woman who claims to be his wife. . Among them is a group of pale, mysterious men who seem to control the entire town - and its inhabitants.

Index

• A unique work born quietly in the shadows of the huge success of "Titanic"
• The strange beings known as "Strangers" are deeply embedded in our memory and never let go.
• It's so strange. Is that a flaw or a charm?
• One of the attractions of this work is that it allows for a wide range of interpretations.

A unique work born quietly in the shadows of the huge success of "Titanic"

March 1998. Titanic continues to dominate the American box office rankings, and it seems like no other movie can compete with this historic sensation.

In the midst of all this, the screening scale of "Dark City" when it was released in the US was about 1,700 theaters, which is almost half the number of theaters that a typical new movie would be. Moreover, the film was unfortunately rated "R" by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). To borrow the words of screenwriter David S. Goyer, "They gave it an R rating for no particular reason, just because it's weird. Since we were going to get an R rating anyway, we decided to go further and add more sexual and violent depictions that we had been holding back."

As a result, it debuted at number 4 in the box office. After that, it gradually dropped in rank, and in less than a month, this film disappeared into the darkness. The production cost was about $27 million, so the worldwide box office revenue was about the same.

"Dark City" © Photofest / Getty Images

Because it's strange. Indeed, that word may be the most straightforward way to describe this film, since from the very beginning of the story, the audience is plunged into complete chaos.

The protagonist is a man who has lost his memory. He has no idea who he is or where he is. And so, from this moment on, he wanders the eerie city shrouded in darkness, from the same perspective as the audience, and begins to notice some unusual things happening. That is, he seems to be being pursued as the culprit of a murder case. A mysterious figure dressed in black is pursuing him separately from the police. It seems that dawn never ends in this city...

The strange beings known as "Strangers" are deeply embedded in our memory and never let go.