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Cyberpunk is back in the spotlight thanks to recent games and series, and it’s giving us a techno noir renaissance. Featuring stunning stories set against dystopian futuristic settings, dark emotions, and jaded heroes, the genre is ripe for storytelling. Movies like Blade Runner and The Matrix popularized the genre in the ’80s and ’90s, but there are plenty of films you may have missed along the way.
One of my favorite films that I overlooked is Dark City, a stunning techno noir thriller that explores the idea of identity against the backdrop of a city immersed in darkness. Released in 1998, this absolute gem predated The Matrix by a year, and is currently streaming free on tubes.
I’ve been a fan of techno noir since the first time I watched Blade Runner, and the ’90s offered a series of excellent options that allowed me to look at beautiful sets, amazing stories, and worlds that felt real and gritty in the best ways.
Dark City presents a futuristic city steeped in shadows, with an atmosphere reminiscent of the 1950s, such as automatons and costume design, which is a style I can’t get enough of.
A man wakes up in a bathtub with no memory of who he is or how he got there. Almost immediately, things went off the rails. There’s a dead woman in the next room, a mysterious phone call telling the nameless protagonist to get out of there, and a mystery that begins to unfold in the dark city streets. John Murdoch slowly discovers his identity through a series of clues, such as his name on the hotel ledger and his suitcase.
As he tries to figure out what happened, he is surrounded from both sides. Police Inspector Frank Bumstead tries to uncover the case of the dead prostitutes, which leads him to John. Then there are the mysterious “strangers.”
Strangers
These are tall, pale men who seem to have the ability to alter reality through ‘discipline’. John is surrounded by these strangers, but in a moment of desperation he manages to change reality and escape their clutches.
Soon, the clock strikes midnight, and John watches everyone in the city sleep; The strangers then use their mystical abilities to change the architecture of the city.
As John tries to regain his memories, he remembers that he is from a small town outside the city called Shell Beach. However, any attempts to reach it end in failure. At this point, John is arrested by the Inspector, who believes him when he explains that something strange is happening in the city and uses his ability to set things straight to prove it.
Dark City’s atmosphere, set design, and sweeping cinematography make every frame worth noting. The 100-minute long thriller is packed with mystery, drama, and more questions than answers. The Strangers chase John and the Inspector, a local doctor with information about the Strangers and their origins, as the city continues to change and trap everyone within its alleys.
I won’t spoil it for you in the third act when you find out what the strangers are really after and the methods they use to find the answers. As John begins to unravel the mystery that has awakened within him, things go from strange to truly out of this world. Murders, amnesia and the entire town are linked to strangers, and once they find out what happened, there is no turning back.
Dark City has reached cult classic status for good reason. Although it wasn’t a huge success at the box office, it’s still an amazing watch 27 years later. It’s one of those sci-fi films that always fascinates me, and the cast delivers top-notch performances. Stream it for free on Tubi, and discover the mystery for yourself.
