Synopsis

John Murdoch awakens in a hotel bathtub with no memory of his identity, a dead body nearby, and the police closing in. As he searches for his missing wife, he discovers that the city falls into darkness each night while mysterious figures rearrange its buildings and alter its residents' memories. Murdoch must uncover the truth behind this artificial world and learn why he alone can resist its unseen manipulators.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film deliberately mixes architectural, technological, and fashion details from different eras. These anachronisms reinforce the sense that the city has no stable history or recognizable time period.

• The idea for the city's buildings changing overnight developed from observing crew members move sections of scenery during production on an earlier film.

• New Line Cinema required an explanatory opening narration for the theatrical release. The narration reveals information that the film otherwise withholds, so it was removed for the 2008 director's cut.

• The director's cut adds approximately eleven minutes of footage, including extended scenes, additional establishing shots, and dialogue. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray in July 2008.

• Much of the film was shot in Sydney, Australia, including studio work at Fox Studios Australia and location filming around areas such as The Rocks and Museum Underground Station.

• Several pieces of the city's sets, including elements used for the rooftop chase, were later sold to the production of The Matrix.

• The film received a Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film, sharing the award with Armageddon. The National Board of Review also gave it a special recognition for excellence in filmmaking.

• Roger Ebert later selected Dark City for his "Great Movies" collection and recorded an audio commentary for its home-video releases.