Dark City (Part 1) - The Manhunt for Mr. Murdoch

"There was an experiment. Something went wrong." - Dr. Schreber, Dark City
Even though the movie is barely at the half-way point, Dark City has to be one of my favorite films in this class aside from Runaway Train and the Seventh Seal. Today's film blends science fiction with film noir, and what the audience sees is a steampunk tale of memories lost and regained, murders explained and unexplained, and creatures only one doctor knows about - and he's not entirely sane himself. Not only is the atmosphere perfect, but the visuals are absolutely astounding!
The set design harkens back to German expressionist films, and Tim Burton may have influenced the swirling circle motif. Whenever Det. Bumstead discusses the Murdoch murders with anyone, the swirls are always there, be they on paper, on walls, or on the victims themselves. At first, I thought Murdoch wouldn't be the one who killed all those women. After all, "what kind of killer" would stop to "save a dying fish?" Anyone could be a criminal, some more clearly than others, but whenever it happens, it's always surprising. It's not long until we see the articles in his coat pocket. Even if he's a slasher like Jack the Ripper, he's still sympathetic because of his search for memory. We may know less about ourselves than we think. Ask anyone about their pasts, and who they were is drastically different than what we are know. It's disillusionment. In the past, I avoided networking sites like I avoided lunatics; now, I've got an account on youtube, facebook, and deviantART, along with a couple of forums. People can change and we're not even aware when or how it happened, which is where the Strangers come in.
Like the rest of the class, I had absolutely no idea what these mysterious men in the trenchcoats were. I figured they were demons from some other dimension out to manipulate humanity like scientists from concentration camps. They absolutely "must have this man", or else their experiment's a waste. Apparently, they call this "the turning", in which they and Dr. Schreber (who must've made some kind of Faustinian pact with them) freeze time and go about their business. Clocks will play a huge part later on. Considering Dr. Schreber whimpers and shudders whenever Strangers like Mr. Hand hang around, it's no wonder they haven't killed him yet. It wouldn't surprise me if they did, considering he nearly gave away their secrets.  One thing's for certain; our heroes' weaknesses are "not for the faint of heart". This may signal a showdown in the future, possibly with Schreber switching sides, but we'll just have to wait and see.
I commented on Mr. Bennett's blog about the Strangers themselves; in a way, they are like the Cenobites from Hellraiser. Both observe humanity and explore the "further regions of the flesh". Unlike the Cenobites, however, the Strangers don't physically torture anyone. Instead, they collect memories and replace them with new ones. Pinhead advising Kirsty Frank's death is "isn't for your eyes" is similar to the quote in the previous paragraph, so I think it's entirely intentional.
On another note, Richard O'Brien's in this film too, and he plays Mr. Hand, one of the Strangers who try to capture Murdoch as much as possible. Personally, I like him better out of all the villains in this piece. It's not because he composed Rocky Horror prior to this and played Riff Raff in the film; it has absolutely nothing to do with that at all. Instead, it's a matter of roles. He could have been just a stock character, but instead, he receives Murdoch's memories and interacts with other characters besides our mad Doctor. Mr. Hand's exhange with Emma is my favorite part of the film. You know something is wrong when they share the same memories and he tells her it's a "small world". It's a shame we stopped where we did, because I have a feeling he'll either beat her into confessing or he'll change her into a whole new person. One thing's for certain; if Det. Eddie's suicide is any indication, there's no way out.