Review of A Scanner Darkly (2006) by Stevenf — 08 Apr 2013

While maybe not as personally enlightening as Linklater's earlier 'Waking Life', but A Scanner Darkly is certainly an unmissable piece of cinematic magic that will not sit well with everyone, but will really stand out as a marvel in complex story-telling and engrossing noir style, all told in animation.

Keanu Reeves plays detective Bob Artcor, who is an undercover cop deep within the Substance D universe, a powerful drug that has taken over America.

When Bob is back at the station, he is disguised by a 'scramble suit' which constantly changes the appearance of every part of his body, the other cops also wear them to protect their identity from their colleagues.

Bob has problem, which is his addiction to the drug, he spends his day with Ernie Luckman (Woody Harrelson) and James Barris (Robert Downey Jr) getting high and rambling endlessly through the day.

Bob also hasn't realised the drug is slowly deteriorating his brain, which causes him to hallucinate outside of using the drug.

His supplier, Donna (Winona Ryder) is an extremely damaged individual who never seems to be on a level head.

Barris is a very shifty character, perfectly portrayed by Downey Jr, he is constantly suspicious of Bob and Donna's relationship and goes so far as to contact the police, unaware of the fact that it is Bob's alter-ego Fred who he is talking to.

The cast is excellent here, with the standout performance of Downey Jr bringing an erratic and paranoid feel to the film, while the film itself is beautifully crafted to create a realisation of drugs and human behaviour, while also having a fantastic dialogue in typical Linklater style.

What is most striking is the simplicity that the film attempts to create, almost saying that this will indeed become a problem and how we need to deal with it. The actual intelligence and thought-provoking nature of the feature really deems it unmissable for movie fanatics.

The film is simply dazzling on all levels. It tells a clever and damaging story while also flickering in moments of humour which help the plot move forward, it can be quite puzzling at times but does require your full attention, because if you do you will be rewarded with a remarkable and gifted film., one, much like Waking Life, that will be difficult to forget, and certainly a shame to miss.