Matthew ShallueA Scanner Darkly (2006)
How does one describe A Scanner Darkly? That’s a tough question to answer as I cannot think of a movie to compare it to. It’s really a very unique movie. A Scanner Darkly is the film adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s 1977 novel, by the same name. The movie is visually beautiful, not quite animated, not quite live action. It did take me sometime to get used to, as it was almost distracting from the story at first.
The plot is as different as the film is visually. Keanu Reese is Bob Arctor, an anti-drug agent deep undercover, trying to discover the root supplier for a drug called Substance D. Bob is so deep undercover that while filing his reports and reviewing video footage at the police station, he has to wear a scramble suit and go by the name Fred. The scramble suit hides his identity by randomly altering different parts of his body, and voice to those looking at him.
As you might guess, Bob eventually becomes addicted to Substance D and starts to suffer from its side effects, extreme paranoia, cognitive problems, and a split personality. At one point, Bob can no longer tell the difference between his role as an undercover agent and a drug user. Illustrated by the fact that he does not know he is running surveillance on himself.
Winona Ryder, portrays Donna Hawthorne, Bob’s drug dealer and friend. In a way, she is Bob’s anchor point; he turns to her for not for advice, but for understanding. Robert Downey Jr. and Woody Harrelson play James Barris, and Ernie Luckman, Bob’s drug addicted, constantly arguing roommates. Oblivious to Bob’s involvement in his police activities, Barris and Luckman banter back and forth, and mock fight. Some of the best dialog comes from Downey Jr. (Barris) during several scenes where he launches into a monolog about making drugs, homemade silencers for handguns, and the supposed terrorist activates of this roommates.
By the end of A Scanner Darkly, the events got a little muddy for me, and I needed to take a moment to figure out exactly what was going on. Even with a little confusion in the story, the end result is an inspired film that leaves you feeling a bit sorry for Bob, after all, he starts out trying to do only good and ends up not being able distinguish one reality from the other. The movie does nothing to romanticize or glamorize drugs. If anything, the possible consequences of long-term hard drug use are well documented. Aa Scanner Darkly is worth watching, even if you are not a fan of movies based around drugs.
Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson, Winona Ryder
MPAA Rating: R
Runtime: 100 minutes
Trailer
Clip
The plot is as different as the film is visually. Keanu Reese is Bob Arctor, an anti-drug agent deep undercover, trying to discover the root supplier for a drug called Substance D. Bob is so deep undercover that while filing his reports and reviewing video footage at the police station, he has to wear a scramble suit and go by the name Fred. The scramble suit hides his identity by randomly altering different parts of his body, and voice to those looking at him.
As you might guess, Bob eventually becomes addicted to Substance D and starts to suffer from its side effects, extreme paranoia, cognitive problems, and a split personality. At one point, Bob can no longer tell the difference between his role as an undercover agent and a drug user. Illustrated by the fact that he does not know he is running surveillance on himself.
Winona Ryder, portrays Donna Hawthorne, Bob’s drug dealer and friend. In a way, she is Bob’s anchor point; he turns to her for not for advice, but for understanding. Robert Downey Jr. and Woody Harrelson play James Barris, and Ernie Luckman, Bob’s drug addicted, constantly arguing roommates. Oblivious to Bob’s involvement in his police activities, Barris and Luckman banter back and forth, and mock fight. Some of the best dialog comes from Downey Jr. (Barris) during several scenes where he launches into a monolog about making drugs, homemade silencers for handguns, and the supposed terrorist activates of this roommates.
By the end of A Scanner Darkly, the events got a little muddy for me, and I needed to take a moment to figure out exactly what was going on. Even with a little confusion in the story, the end result is an inspired film that leaves you feeling a bit sorry for Bob, after all, he starts out trying to do only good and ends up not being able distinguish one reality from the other. The movie does nothing to romanticize or glamorize drugs. If anything, the possible consequences of long-term hard drug use are well documented. Aa Scanner Darkly is worth watching, even if you are not a fan of movies based around drugs.
Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson, Winona Ryder
MPAA Rating: R
Runtime: 100 minutes
Trailer
Clip
