Review of A Scanner Darkly (2006) by Afountain — 14 Nov 2011

This film is a jigsaw puzzle. It's certainly not for everyone, and it requires patience and possibly repeat viewings in order to be fully understood and enjoyed. The acting is superb from all the cast, but Robert Downey Jr.

's performance stands out as the best by far. The animation style adds to the surreal atmosphere and matches the disturbing dystopian setting perfectly. It is done in such a way that it doesn't detract from the story or any actor's performance at all, and merely serves to enhance the audience's image of the characters' paranoid, drug-addled minds.

There's perhaps a little too much to take in the first time you watch it, and the plot is sometimes a little less than coherent. However, it stays true to the book, and the message it is trying to convey is clear throughout the film.