Alex Proyas came from music videos and made The Crow and Dark City in succession, both of which build entire cities as sets and light them like 1920s German cinema. Dark City in particular anticipates several ideas The Matrix would popularise a year later.
The Crow is inseparable from Brandon Lee’s death during production, and the film was completed using doubles and early digital compositing.
His later studio work, I, Robot and Gods of Egypt, is less distinctive. Dark City’s director’s cut, which removes the studio-imposed opening narration, is the version to watch.
