There are many who would be quick to praise Kiefer Sutherland's quirky, purposely idiosyncratic performance in Dark City as a notable achievement for an actor who is often lambasted for playing broody action types over and over again; truth is, admirable as Sutherland's part in the deftly underrated Dark City is, he's totally miscast as Dr. Daniel P. Schreber. It's not just that he doesn't look the part, he doesn't feel natural to it at all - to the point where you wonder why director Alexander Proyas didn't bother to search out for somebody more suitable. As Dr. Schreber, a man who works for the elusive "Strangers" in a dystopian future, Sutherland mostly finds himself shouting things down the end of a telephone to little effect. It's not entirely Sutherland's fault; he does what he can, given how ill-fitted his own acting style is to that of the character he's playing, but the problem is rooted in the casting. It also doesn't help that nobody else in the movie seems sure how to play things, either. Even Jennifer Connelly, who is usually good in everything, is noticeably awful in this. It just doesn't work at all. Like this article? Agree or disagree with our choices here? Let us know in the comments section below.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
