A Scanner Darkly (2006)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Bob S

  
  This film did not quite reach it's potential. Great source material, acting (casting!) and visuals but the storytelling is sluggish and muddled and there is little opportunity for the viewer to identify with any of the characters' multiple identities.

• Mark W

  
  In 2002, director Richard Linklater delivered a, little-seen, gem of a film called "Waking Life". In this, he used an animation technique called 'rotoscoping'. Basically it was animation added over live actors. The results were highly effective and he decided to… More
  In 2002, director Richard Linklater delivered a, little-seen, gem of a film called "Waking Life". In this, he used an animation technique called 'rotoscoping'. Basically it was animation added over live actors. The results were highly effective and he decided to use the technique here, on this adaptation of Philip K. Dick's paranoid science fiction novel. Once again, the results are superb. In the near future, Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) an undercover cop, is given the assignment to bring down a vast network of drug distribution dealing in "Substance D" - which is highly addictive and mind altering. He fully immerses himself in the lifestyle, to the point were he has become an addict himself and even his superiors don't know his cover story. As a result, they order him to spy on himself. Being under the influence regularly, it causes him to lose his grip on reality where nothing is clear anymore. This was a film that had gained interest from a couple of notable players in the film business. Director Terry Gilliam ("The Fisher King", "12 Monkeys") was interested at one point and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman ("Being John Malkovich", "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind") had actually drafted a screenplay that was eventually unused. One can only wonder at what might have came of this adaptation had they been involved but that doesn't lessen the fact that Linklater has done a sterling job here. For a start, his decision to implement the "interpolated rotoscoping" animation again was a stroke of genius. On "Waking Life" it complimented the existential dream-like story and it is used similarly on this film. It's a technique that could be in danger of overuse but when the story and characters themselves are operating from an occasional surreal point of view, rotoscoping is perfectly fitting. It serves as a metaphor for the characters' drug induced alternate realities and allows us to identify with their paranoia and personal identity. You'd be forgiven for thinking that it might take away from the actors' performances but it doesn't. In some ways it enhances them. Reeves is an actor that has came in for some criticism throughout his career but he's really rather good here and the support, from Harrelson and especially Downey Jr, is excellent. Who better to be included in a film of substance abuse than a couple of actors who have dabbled in their time? The script is also very faithful to Philip K. Dick's writing. You can tell Linklater has invested a lot of his time in adapting, what is essentially, some of Dick's own paranoid thoughts - he was heavily involved in the abuse of amphetamines and psychedelics - and explores the usual themes involved in his novels; the sociological and political aspects of human society under the control of an authoritarian government. If your a fan of Dick's musings then you'll find them all here. The only fault with the film could be found in it's slightly lethargic pace but the visuals and thought provoking content are so astounding that the pace is forgiven. Sometimes Philip K. Dick's stories are not given the proper treatment in movies. There are stinkers like "Next" and "Paycheck" but this ranks very highly alongside the successful ones like "Total Recall" and especially "Blade Runner". A thought-provoking head-trip of a film that delivers both intellectually and visually.

• KJ P

  
  While I do not recommend this film to everyone, it is a must see. "A Scanner Darkly" follows drug addicts who are hiding from society, after the war on drugs was lost. This film takes place years into the future, while staying true to the fact that the future will not be… More
  While I do not recommend this film to everyone, it is a must see. "A Scanner Darkly" follows drug addicts who are hiding from society, after the war on drugs was lost. This film takes place years into the future, while staying true to the fact that the future will not be much different than it is now. I really enjoyed the converted animation, which truly expressed the story even more. I must say that it can become a little hard to follow at times and the story can become a little disjointed, but the heart of the story is what truly matters and director Richard Linklater knows what and why he is making (this movie). The performances are witty and loveable, the script is very well written, and the conclusion really tells the audience how much of an impact drugs can have on someones life. I really enjoyed "A Scanner Darkly," and even though it will not appeal to everyone, I give it a solid recommendation!

• paul o

  
  After multiple viewings, this film is takes a new approach to drugs.The cinematography is vivid and Keanu Reeves isn't as robotic as he always is. Its really something.

• Randy T

  
  Interesting confluence of live action and animation coupled with imaginative (albeit bizarre) scripting.

• Jacob E

  
  I really don't know what to say about this one. If I say too much about the plot, I could give away some massive spoilers, so I'll refrain from mentioning it. This is a very dialogue driven film with some nice performances to back up the bizarre visual style. The final thing… More
  I really don't know what to say about this one. If I say too much about the plot, I could give away some massive spoilers, so I'll refrain from mentioning it. This is a very dialogue driven film with some nice performances to back up the bizarre visual style. The final thing I'm going to note here is that Robert Downey Jr. absolutely steals the show. Every scene he is in is an absolute joy to watch and his character is easily one of the film's biggest highlights. The first half is decent, but the second half manages to pick up the slack and kicks things into high gear. Definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but brilliant nevertheless.

• Christopher A

  
  A Scanner Darkly takes you down the rabbit hole, spins you around 5 times while asking you 20 questions. 20% of the Worlds population are addicted to the fictional drug, Substance D and we follow a group of addicts as the drug begins to slowly destroy their minds. Fully… More
  A Scanner Darkly takes you down the rabbit hole, spins you around 5 times while asking you 20 questions. 20% of the Worlds population are addicted to the fictional drug, Substance D and we follow a group of addicts as the drug begins to slowly destroy their minds. Fully animated, we get a surreal picture of the world through a Substance D user and the continual blurring of the line between what is real and what is not. Animation has never been so cool. A Scanner Darkly will leave you feeling confused and trippy but most of all the poignancy of the dedication of those lost or permantly damaged by drugs will make you saddended for the lives truly effected by drug addiction. "D... Substance D. "D" is dumbness, and despair, desertion-desertion of you from your friends, your friends from you, everyone from everyone. Isolation and loneliness... and hating and suspecting each other, "D" is finally death. Slow death from the head down. Well... that's it. "

• Conner R

  
  Such a cool movie with some truly amazing visuals. It doesn't feel like an animated movie, but a drug inhibited story seen through its protagonist's eyes. Keanu Reeves and Robert Downey Jr. are both perfect in their roles and give legitimacy to what might have been seen as a… More
  Such a cool movie with some truly amazing visuals. It doesn't feel like an animated movie, but a drug inhibited story seen through its protagonist's eyes. Keanu Reeves and Robert Downey Jr. are both perfect in their roles and give legitimacy to what might have been seen as a cartoon movie with no substance. The manipulation of reality is so effective and it's what makes Philip K. Dick's story all the more convincing. It's one of the most ambitious ways to tell a pretty non-flashy sci-fi story and for the most part, it's flawless.

• Tim S

  
  Visually interesting, but fails on a cinematic level. The ideas there are intriguing and thought-provoking, but I couldn't really get on board with the characters and understand them and what their motivations were.

• Dan S

  
  A lively film concerning a trio of drug users (Keanu Reeves, Woody Harrelson, and Robert Downey Jr.), and how one of them (Reeves) is an undercover cop assigned to infiltrate the people they are associated with. An impressive, ambitious experiment done in the "Waking Life"… More
  A lively film concerning a trio of drug users (Keanu Reeves, Woody Harrelson, and Robert Downey Jr.), and how one of them (Reeves) is an undercover cop assigned to infiltrate the people they are associated with. An impressive, ambitious experiment done in the "Waking Life" animation vein that director Richard Linklater failed with before - here it works wonders. Although the two films have next to no comparisons asides from the animation aspect (I guess you could make a case for the vernacular being almost to the advanced level that "Waking Life" featured as well), it does beg for an analysis. Instead of featuring talking heads with no dimensions other than their philosophical thoughts, Linklater fleshes out his animated characters in a workmanlike manner. The animation also does wonders for the story that in the sense that Linklater isn't just showing us another dirty, dark sort of drug story we've seen hundreds of times, as he brings even the most disgusting settings to life through the use of vibrant colors. Keanu Reeves makes a strong case for being the most inconsistent actor in the film industry. He can give good, solid performances like this (as well as "Speed" and "The Matrix") or just downright awful performances ("Constantine", "Point Break", and "Street Kings"). Robert Downey Jr. is routinely terrific in a very funny role, complemented well by an equally off the wall Woody Harrelson. While it misses greatness by just a tad (the ending isn't as satisfying as it tries to be), it's definitely a film worth experiencing.

• Alexander W

  
  I wouldn't get too bogged down in the fact its a sci fi or based in the future because apart from one story hook and plot line. There is very little to give the impression of a futuristic movie. The element which you can argue about is the layers of animation (I don't know… More
  I wouldn't get too bogged down in the fact its a sci fi or based in the future because apart from one story hook and plot line. There is very little to give the impression of a futuristic movie. The element which you can argue about is the layers of animation (I don't know what type of animation this is either) but the whole way through you are watching a very surreal yet very down to earth approach to ordinary peoples lives in a drastic build up to an ending. Worth viewing! I likef Robert Downey Jr a lot in this movie yet Keanu Reeves scrapes through with another almost identical character from his previous movies and still remains the "Ted" we all still love.

• Jens S

  
  Philip K. Dick's stories made for really great films already in the past and although I am not sure how much of the story for Scanner Darkly is actually based on his writings, you notice the themes that would fit into his oeuvre: future government taking control, monitoring… More
  Philip K. Dick's stories made for really great films already in the past and although I am not sure how much of the story for Scanner Darkly is actually based on his writings, you notice the themes that would fit into his oeuvre: future government taking control, monitoring suspicious citizens without much of a legal reason needed. The idea of having a cartoon look drawn over actual actor footage is actually really neat and looks interesting, especially in the few futuristic aspects of the story. Yet the film is strangely split between the interesting and intelligent story of an undercover agent in the drug milieu and the effects and nonsense these drugs are causing. It's such scenes that remind of "Fear and loathing in las Vegas" and other drug stories, which often cause horrible over acting and actions not comprehensible for the regular viewer. That being said at least Downey Jr. is as brilliant as always. The ending gets back to the more serious aspect of the story and provides a nice little twist, so the general experience is satisfying. If only they would have cut down on the wanna-be-weird and -funny scenes of the druggies. Still worth a look.

• Drew S

  
  I like all you dumb fuckers talking about how you saw this movie high or how much you want to drop acid and sit through it. Considering the movie is essentially a straight indictment of drug use and culture, you've completely missed the point. Philip K. Dick is spinning in his… More
  I like all you dumb fuckers talking about how you saw this movie high or how much you want to drop acid and sit through it. Considering the movie is essentially a straight indictment of drug use and culture, you've completely missed the point. Philip K. Dick is spinning in his grave right now. Obviously the big draw here was the rotoscoping, which looks cool. Why did Richard Linklater make this choice, I wondered throughout the film? I think that it's to depict how detached people intimated in this drug culture become from reality - how everything in the world around them becomes a not-quite-there caricature. They see shapes, but they can't attach meaning to them. The details are gone, washed away in a drugged haze. I confess that I didn't arrive at this conclusion until after I'd finished the movie, and instead just chose to appreciate that it looked cool as I watched it. It is an effective device for allowing the viewer to see into a blurred reality. It's also a double edged sword, because you can't help but wonder how different the film would be played straight. It would probably allow more attention for the performances, which are sort of de-nuanced by the rotoscoping. What we see here is essentially enhanced voice-over work. Not that anyone is exactly doing career best here, with Keanu being Keanu and Winona looking whiny and soppy and Robert Downey Jr. being annoyingly glib. The movie rises beyond this, though, and it manages to be thematically and visually captivating enough to warrant a watch.

• Ginny  

  
  Recently added to my collection. Review to follow. <br><br><center><i>"What does a scanner see? Into the head? Down into the heart? Does it see into me, into us? Clearly or darkly?"</center></i><br><br>Plot: Set in a future… More
  Recently added to my collection. Review to follow. <br><br><center><i>"What does a scanner see? Into the head? Down into the heart? Does it see into me, into us? Clearly or darkly?"</center></i><br><br>Plot: Set in a future world where America has lost the war on drugs, an undercover cop, Fred, is one of many agents hooked on the popular drug Substance D, which causes its users to develop split personalities. Fred, for instance, is also Bob, a notorious drug dealer. Along with his superior officers, Fred sets up an elaborate scheme to catch Bob and tear down his operation.<br><br>[INSERT REVIEW HERE]<br><br><b>Directed by: Richard Linklater<br>Genre: Animation, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller<br>R 18</b>

• Anthony L

  
  I was worried that the animation would spoil this film version of one of my favourite books. Luckily Richard Linklater's adaptation of Phillip K. Dick's novel was really refreshing and original and worked perfectly. Phew!

• Daniel H

  
  A numbing exercise in blunt visual metaphor. The rotoscoping effect becomes tiresome, having us focus on meaningless vector eccentricities instead of the acting. Squint and you can see a decent, if average, film behind it all. The supporting cast of Robert Downey, Jr. and Rory… More
  A numbing exercise in blunt visual metaphor. The rotoscoping effect becomes tiresome, having us focus on meaningless vector eccentricities instead of the acting. Squint and you can see a decent, if average, film behind it all. The supporting cast of Robert Downey, Jr. and Rory Cochrane are superb, further casting a pall over Reeve's vapid performance. Disregarding the scattershot acting or visuals, the adapted Philip K. Dick plotline retains a sense of paranoid grandeur similar to such classics as "Soylent Green." Squint hard enough, and you can lose the rotoscoped gimmick and the wannabe Fear-and-Loathing cinematography. You'll be left with a pleasantly entertaining near-future dystopia and a none-too-subtle backhand against Big Pharma in the classic Orwellian tradition.

• Derek D

  
  Keanu Reeves plays a drugged-up undercover cop who is ordered by his law enforcement superiors to spy on and film his life with his housemates. It's based on a Philip K Dick story and is very much like something out of Heavy Metal with it's animation-based-on-real-life… More
  Keanu Reeves plays a drugged-up undercover cop who is ordered by his law enforcement superiors to spy on and film his life with his housemates. It's based on a Philip K Dick story and is very much like something out of Heavy Metal with it's animation-based-on-real-life stylings. Robert Downey Jr and Woody Harrelson play his buddies whom the police seem to be especially interested in. Is very slow-paced, but just interesting enough to keep your attention.

• Robert C

  
  Once you get past the novelty of the animation style (which is quite impressive, but has since been done to death)...what you have is an interesting and quirky story of a rather bleak but not unimaginable future. Both ammusing and disturbing, but ultimately an impressive and… More
  Once you get past the novelty of the animation style (which is quite impressive, but has since been done to death)...what you have is an interesting and quirky story of a rather bleak but not unimaginable future. Both ammusing and disturbing, but ultimately an impressive and (mostly) enjoyable trip (pun intended).

• Megan S

  
  I really enjoyed this movie. The animation was pretty cool and Woody was pretty hilarious. Keanu Reeves is just okay as usual but the other characters made up for him. "'Bout to get fucked up bitch beetle!"

• Josh L

  
  Rewatched this movie and understood it alot more than the first time. It's got a great story that's driven by character interaction. Animation is still kinda weird in my opinion, but this is a movie worth watching if you are into cyberpunk.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings