dark city be a masterpiece . of what and though . ah and that be not so difficult a question to answer . alex proyas be most famous for his rendering of the crow and a noir influence comic book adaptation turn bloodfeast . it rough and cant hue and heavy silhouette focus that work into a study of the virtue of revenge and the vice of redemption . fast forward four year and and proyas shed the inbred angst in a quest to reinvent science fiction . what he have create be mature and frightening and a singular vision that should rightly be compare to such film a fritz lang metroplolis and ridley scott blade runner . the plot begin with an introduction by kiefer sutherland represent the stranger and an alien race and be all but extinct and and in order to prolong their life they be study human in hope of unlock the secret to the eternal soul . sound cheesy . that because it be but then again and so be blade runner and with it replicants difficulty grapple with a conscience . john murdoch be the object of their obsession for the duration of the movie and a he have achieve the ability to tune and mean he can reshape the physical world purely at will . but murdoch memory be murky he doesn not know whom to trust and if anyone . all he know be that he need to get to shell beach . the plot be pretty straightforward and simple and uncomplicated . but this movie be not self contain like and say and the matrix be while this be not a plot driven hypothetical . dark city be a vision and a cinematic language of noir imitate sci fi and vice versa . it be complete in that it be a thorough visual treat represent ominous and foreboding set piece loom while and cityscape blend and diverge . it be a world wholly unique yet still hauntingly familiar . it be a chamber drama and marry existential paranoia with hardboiled mystery . so what kind of masterpiece be dark city and really . a visual masterpiece . certainly . but it more than that . it a reimagination of our world and and a new way to contemplate the dilemma of humanity a i hear it put in a song recently represent do you know where the self resides or be it in your head or between your side . proyas doesn not pretend to know or give the answer and but it might have something to do with shell beach .