Review of A Scanner Darkly (2006) by Cody W — 10 Aug 2010

I haven't read the novel although it's presently in my hard drive as an ebook. To immerse yourself completely into the 'world' of the movie, you got to dive through both the book and the feature film, in any order.

The psychedelic, hallucinating quality of the film makes it stand out and I'm all the more eager to read the novel now. This, and 'Requiem For A Dream', two movies with similar themes (substance abuse/addiction) and equally dreadful takes on it sends shivers down the audience's spine, almost shooting a bullet through the brain, forbidding us to stay away from darker alleys.

While RFAD had a more organic, visceral impact on me, 'A Scanner Darkly' brings in an atmosphere of ominous melancholy capably aided by a dark, ambient theme and Radiohead clippings, not to mention the dreamlike visuals sadly evolving into a nightmare as the film progresses.

Downey Jr.,Reeves,Harrelson,Ryder do what they do best. Technical department is a winner hands down! But a special praise for Linklater here for tackling subjects that are politcally and socially relevant of our times and and are more than often, evidently sinister and menacing in their own way.

He's a goddamn genius and an underrated one too.