

Dark City
They built the city to see what makes us tick. Last night, one of us went off.
A man struggles with memories of his past, including a wife he cannot remember, in a nightmarish world with no sun and run by beings with telekinetic powers who seek the souls of humans.
TMDB
7.3/10
3,408 votes
IMDb
Not rated yet
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- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $27M
- Box office
- $27.2M
- Language
- English
- beach
- amnesia
- experiment
- paranoia
- dystopia
- sleep
- manipulation
- mad scientist
- fugitive
- serial killer
- memory
- cyberpunk
Top billed cast















Behind the camera
Director
Music
Produced in
Australia, United States of America
Where to watch
All optionsAvailability for United States. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.
Gallery












Videos
Release dates
United StatesUS
- TheatricalR27 Feb 1998
United KingdomGB
- Theatrical1529 May 1998
AustraliaAU
- TheatricalM6 Aug 1998
CanadaCA
- Theatrical14A27 Feb 1998
ArgentinaAR
- Theatrical+1615 Oct 1998
BrazilBR
- Theatrical14Lançamento6 Nov 1998
- TV14Certificado SBT23 Jan 2001
CzechiaCZ
- Physical18+21 Sept 2009
DenmarkDK
- Theatrical1524 Apr 1998
FinlandFI
- TheatricalK-1611 Dec 1998
FranceFR
- Theatrical1620 May 1998
GermanyDE
- Theatrical1627 Aug 1998
GreeceGR
- Theatrical1612 Nov 1998
Frequently asked questions
Dark City was released on 27 February 1998.
Audience reviews
6- J9/10
John Chard
9/25/2014
This review is of the Director's Cut. Welcome To Shell Beach. Dark City is directed by Alex Proyas who also co-writes the screenplay with Leon Dobbs and David S. Goyer. It stars Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Jennifer Connelly, Kiefer Sutherland, Richard O'Brien and Ian Richardson. Music is by Trevor Jones and cinematography by Dariusz Wolski. A man wakes up in a grotty hotel bathroom and upon finding a dead …
- W7/10
Wuchak
1/21/2023
**_Atmospheric, dark mixture of film noir, comic book horror and sci-fi_** A man (Rufus Sewell) wakes up one night to great mysteries: There's a dead prostitute nearby that he gets blamed for murdering, but he can't remember much of anything. Several people seek him in the ensuing night hours of the big city: a somewhat mad doctor (Kiefer Sutherland), a detective (William Hurt), his estranged wife (Jennifer Conne…
- D10/10
dfle3
3/31/2025
Intriguing sci-fi This is one of my favourite movies of a spate of movies dealing with philosophical themes. This group would include The Matrix (reviewed here by me), The Thirteenth Floor and Gattaca. I saw this movie many years ago and it has stuck with me all this time. Don't be put off by my description of these movies as 'philosophical'-they are entertainment first and foremost. The philosophical theme …
- J9/10
JPV852
7/27/2025
This is one I probably haven't seen since the Director's Cut Blu-ray release in 2008 and while I liked it then, I now absolutely love it today. The cast and plot were wonderful to go along with the impressive visual effects, admittedly shrouded in darkness. I always like seeing Rufus Sewell playing a good guy as he's usually pidgeonholed playing either an A-hole or outright villain. Alex Proyas's Dark City is just a …
- D10/10
Dr Nostromo
10/30/2025
99/100 The inhabitants of a dark city are being used in an experiment by an alien race that rebuilds both the city and everyone's memories every night in an attempt to determine what makes us humans tick. Although very different films, you can't help notice the similarities with the manipulated environment of "The Matrix". The film noir quality, the surreal landscape, the strangers, the writing, the performances, …
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