John Murdock (Rufus Sewell) awakes and finds himself in a bathtub and has no clue as to how he got there. To complicate matters there is a dead woman, appearently murdered, in the apartment. John gets a phone call from Dr. Schreber (Keifer Sutherland) telling him that someone is coming fo him. The ones after John are the Strangers, aliens who left their world because their dying. These aliens have a telepathic power called tuning, by which their thoughts can become reality. John escapes the Strangers and tries to fill in the holes in his memory. Meanwhile Inspector Bumstead (William Hurt) is investigating a serial murder and John is the prime suspect. Bumstead and Schreber both look up John's wife Emma (Jennifer Connelly), hoping she can lead them to him. As John starts getting some answers to his questions he discovers he's different from everyone else and that this difference is tied to the Strangers and their nightly activities.
Dark City provides wondrous visuals. The city seems to be alive, especially during it's nightly changes. Sewell does well to show John's struggle for the truth. This movie is different, which it's strongest point and a stumbling block. At times Dark City is astonishing and at times it can seem pointless. I would have enjoyed some background on the Strangers, instead of the brief mention given in the opening. If you are looking for something outside the movie norm then Dark City is certainly for you but if you are the type who gets confused by the average movie maybe you should seek an alternative.