Where it looks kind of dark and slightly stroboscopic. Does it have a name. I think CSI Miami uses it also.
I think what they are doing is filming it a lower frame rate to give it that really manic feel that makes you feel the disorientation of battle. I’m sure someone here can give you the official term.
Actually, it has nothing to do with a lower frame rate; that would just make the action faster. The technique astro is referring to is a 45 or 90-degree shutter effect. The change in the shutter angle gives each frame a shorter exposure time. Here’s a brief explanation, but I’m sure Cartooniverse or Johnny L.A. could give you a better explanation of how it works.
Didn’t they use it, or something close to it, in Three Kings ?
Anamorphic covered it. I haven’t actually used the technique myself, although my camera does have an adjustable shutter and I’ve thought about trying it.
Remember that for any given exposure, you need a certain amount of light. You can adjust the lights physically on a set by moving them farther away or closer to the action, adding or removing diffusion, scrims, “cookies” or gels, using lower- or higher-wattage lamps, etc. You can reduce the amount of light entering the lens by using a neutral density filter or coloured filter. You can increase or reduce the aperture. You can vary the shutter angle. You can speed up or slow down the film. The point is, there are things you can do to adjust the light hitting the film so that you achieve the desired exposure.
So let’s say you want a “normal” exposure, but you also want to achieve the “strobe” effect (which works when the camera or subjuect is moving). You can reduce the shutter opening to 45° for the effect, but you also need to increase the light hitting the film. You can increase the aperture, but then you may lose depth of field. You might also try adding more light. Depending on the effect you want, you can shoot it darker than normal (i.e., make do with the light you have and accept a darker image) or you can use a faster film (which may give a more grainy result – and which might be just he effect you want!).
How do you figure out how much light you need? With a light meter. I’d have to dig out my manual, but there’s a formula for figuring out the shutter speed. For example, a 180° shutter exposes the film for 1/2 a revolution. At 24 frames per second that means that the film is exposed for 24/.5, or 1/48 second (rounded to 1/50). You set the film rating on the meter and set the shutter speed to 1/50. Then you take a light reading. The meter will tell you how big an aperture you need. If you reduce the shutter angle to 90°, then the film is exposed for 1/4 or a revolution. Thus, the shutter speed at 24fps could be called 1/100 second and the aperture or the amount of light used must be increased.
As I said, I’ve never used the technique; but in theory I think it works like this: Suppose the subject is a person running. His arms, legs and body cover a certain percentage of a frame as they move between the sides of the frame. At a “normal shutter speed” of 1/50 second, there is some blurring of the motion – just like when you try to take a photograph of a fast-moving object with a slow shutter speed on your film camera. When you increase the shutter speed the subject is less blurred. But with a motion picture camera you are taking 24 pictures every second and the arms and legs of your subject are moving at a more or less constant rate as well. With a 180° shutter the blurred motion makes the image look fluid. With a 90° or 45° shutter the individual images are clearer and so the image looks less fluid.
“Darkness” in the scene may be because there was not enough light available to expose the image properly, but I think it’s probably that the director and/or DP wanted it to look that way and chose the lighting and film stock to specifically achieve that effect. If you saw Three Kings you’ll remember that they used the “strobe effect” (I don’t know what it’s called “officially”) and they used “washed out” colours. I think the latter was achieved by using reversal film instead of negative and using “bleach bypass” processing which left the silver (?) on the film.
Cartooniverse…?
I’ve noticed that sometimes you can record something at a higher frame rate, because you intend to have it in slow motion, but then you decide to use that footage at regular speed instead, and that can cause a similar stroboscopic effect.
I don’t recall them using it specifically in Three Kings, although they may have used it in portions. But I think the distinctive look that that film had that you’re talking about, though, is a Bleach Bypass. Bleach Bypass is a post-production process, whereas 45 or 90-degree shutter is an in-camera effect. When normally proccessing (color) film, one of the steps involves bleaching out the silver that is part of the film. In a bleach bypass, you either reduce the amount of bleach or eliminate this step altogether, leaving some or all of the silver. The result is the pastel-ly, high contrast look you see in Three Kings.
D’oh! I didn’t read all the way through Johnny L.A.'s response before I answered the Three Kings question. He’d already defined bleach bypass. 
But I can at least answer his (?)… yes, it is a silver retention process.
That’s what I get for talking too much. 
Yes, which is where I learned that it was called a “narrow shutter” effect, though I had to wait for Anamorphic and Johnny L.A. to explain further.
It is used (overused) on “CSI:Miami,” though I wonder if that show is shot on video. In which case, I further wonder if the narrow shutter works for video, or if it’s some post-production process to simulate the photographic effect.
No, no. If you’ll note the time stamp on my post, you’ll realize I was crawling home at 4am when I read your post. It wasn’t you talking too much, it was my reading-comprehension skills already being in bed. “Shut the lights off when you’re done, Dave,” they said. 
By the way, we did use 90-degree shutter sparringly in Stark Raving Mad. It’d sure be nice if more people were able to see it so I could use it as an example. sigh
It wasn’t the time of your post. I just thought I was rambling and you were reading, “blah, blah, blah… whatever.” 
I liked Stark Raving Mad. I don’t remember the 90° shutter effect. I guess I’ll have to see it again.