Alex Proyas

In Dark City (1998), the city gives us as much reason for suspicion as anyone walking through it. That is where Alex Proyas is most convincing: making a place we want to examine, then giving us a mystery as a reason to stay. We felt uneasy because the surroundings seemed no more trustworthy than the people. The film is worth an evening for that sustained curiosity, though its characters are less interesting than the questions being asked about them.

Proyas came to features through music videos, and composition, colour and mood remain central to his work. Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds (1989) was his first feature; The Crow (1994) brought his breakthrough and established his gothic style. Dark City then put his visual invention to work on questions of identity, using noir investigation to keep us involved. The later studio films I, Robot (2004), Knowing (2009) and Gods of Egypt (2016) extend that appetite for imagined worlds across science fiction, apocalyptic thriller and mythology.

Lighting and production design are central to his work, and cinematographer Dariusz Wolski is among his collaborators. In Dark City, the noir investigation gives that attention to the setting a practical use: we have a reason to look closely. Proyas sometimes pushes the atmosphere so hard that the effort becomes distracting and the suspense suffers. The images work best when they help us investigate, rather than simply asking to be admired.

The Dark City screenplay, written by Proyas with Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer, is the more persistent difficulty. Its questions about what makes a person are worth asking, but the characters rarely have much life outside their jobs in the puzzle. Some connections are doubtful, leaving us to supply work the writing should have done. The mystery nevertheless holds our attention, and the uncertainty gives us something to consider beyond the scenery. Start with Dark City if exploring an untrustworthy city appeals; do not expect equally absorbing company.