History Film / DarkCity1998

* DieselPunk: The one of the more important {{Trope Codifier}}s, cementing the aesthetics's connections to {{Noir}} and a vaguely [[SpookySeance Spiritualist]][=/=][[CosmicHorrorStory [=Lovecraftian=]]] breed of AppliedPhlebotinum bordering on {{Magitek}}.

'''Character tropes go on to the [[Characters/DarkCity Characters Sheet]].'''

''Dark City'' is a 1998 science-fiction film directed by Creator/AlexProyas, starring Rufus Sewell, Creator/WilliamHurt, Creator/KieferSutherland, Creator/JenniferConnelly, and Creator/RichardOBrien.

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-->''You wanted to know what it was about us that made us human. Well, you're not going to find it..in here.''

* {{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 [[spoiler: this city always changes. Literally. Buildings are never in the same place twice, bridges or roadways constantly shift, apartments can become hotels, housing developments can transform into five star restaurants, etc. This only heightens the uncertainty, surrealism and paranoia in the atmosphere. It's a prison with ever-changing cells. This takes the Film Noir metaphor of the city as a repressive labyrinth of the soul to the logical extreme.]]

* DieselPunk: The one of the more important {{Trope Codifier}}s, cementing the aesthetics's connections to {{Noir}} and a vaguely [[SpookySeance Spiritualist]][=/=][[CosmicHorrorStory [=Lovecraftian=]]] breed of AppliedPhlebotinum bordering on {{Magitech}}.

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Mr. Hand's final conversation with John, who tells him the Strangers were looking for humanity [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove "in the wrong place."]]

** TheSmartGuy: Dr. Schreber

%%* ClickHello

* DieselPunk: The one of the more important {{Trope Codifier}}s, cementing the aesthetics's connections to {{Noir}} and a vaguely [[SpookySeance Spiritualist]][=/=]{{Lovecraftian}} breed of AppliedPhlebotinum bordering on {{Magitech}}.

* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler: Mr. Hand is rather pathetic, almost pitiable, in his final moments with John, wherein he [[BlueAndOrangeMorality fails]] [[EvilCannotComprehendGood completely]] to understand the true nature of humanity, or the truly evil nature of his actions. It's rather sad when he admits to John that he's dying, especially assuming that when he's gone, there will [[LastOfHisKind be none left.]] ]]

** '''Crime Scene Cop:''' [[spoiler: Ever notice how these things always seem to happen in the middle of the night?]]

* PlatonicCave: In this case the "cave" is [[spoiler:an alien spaceship/laboratory made up to look like an American city ca. the 1930s]].

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/darkcity.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[TimeStandsStill "Shut it down."]]]]

A man [[YouWakeUpInARoom wakes up in a bathtub]] with [[EasyAmnesia 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 [[LooksLikeOrlok pale men in dark coats]] who have taken an interest in him.

Meanwhile, Emma Murdoch is contacted by one Dr. Daniel 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 [[ReluctantMadScientist John's side]].

Meanwhile, [[SympatheticInspectorAntagonist 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 [[RoomFullOfCrazy went insane]].

* FiveBadBand: The most prominent Strangers:

* MohsScaleOfViolenceHardness: It rates a fairly light 7, with the two scenes of dead, topless prostitutes killed by the Strangers as the only explicit gory scenes. A couple of the other Strangers die in some fairly messy ways, but the effect isn't as gruesome due to the fact that their blood is [[AlienBlood bluish]]-[[BlackBlood black]] and not red.

* RRatedOpening: John Murdoch discovering a topless, mutilated prostitute in the room next door to his in the first scene (although oddly enough, this is one of only two times where we see blood or nudity.