After popping up in lesser-known TV and movie productions throughout the 90s, Rufus Sewell landed one of his first leading roles in the film-noir-stylized science fiction feature, "Dark City." The movie takes place in a mysterious urban setting that feels like no real location on Earth. Sewell plays John Murdoch, a man who wakes up with no memory of not only his surroundings, but of who he is himself. Before he knows it, Murdoch finds himself being chased by an otherworldly group called The Strangers, who are working in tandem with the police. This authoritative force is led by inspector Frank Bumstead (William Hurt), who has accused Murdoch of murdering several prostitutes.
Murdoch finds that he does have someone looking out for him, as he is guided through his evasion by the strange Dr. Daniel Schreber, brilliantly portrayed by Kiefer Sutherland. The story takes continuous unsettling turns, including the revelation that these "one-minded" strangers are actually aliens who use human dead bodies as vessels. They have selfish intentions, as they are trying to save their own race by studying and experimenting on these unsuspecting humans.
This all leads to the eventual revelation that this "Dark City" is an isolated holding cell, floating in space, for captured humans. Murdoch eventually exposes the big secret and brings his fellow people to sunlight for the very first time.
