Movie Review: A Scanner Darkly

This could have been the art-house film of the year.

Consider the source: Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly, his bleakest, most paranoid novel. That's really saying something, considering that he's the big daddy of conspiracy sci-fi. Ever wondered where shows like The X-Files got their vibe? Look at Philip K. Dick's stories.

Consider the director: Richard Linklater, who demonstrated his mastery of rotoscoping in the brilliant Waking Life. A Scanner Darkly harnesses that technology in the service of Dick's dystopian vision of an America losing the war on drugs.

Now consider the cast: Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr. and Woody Harrelson playing (what else?) druggies, along with former Gen-X pinup Winona Ryder. And then there's Rory Cochrane, who takes his Dazed and Confused stoner to its logical conclusion. A well-chosen cast, many of whom have had their substance-abuse problems splashed all over the scandal press.

On paper, A Scanner Darkly should have rocked my world. So what went wrong?

Failure of nerve.

Philip K. Dick's classic novel can be applied to any era, especially this one. When a character talks about "our brave soldiers, fighting overseas against drug trafficking," one can't help but think of the farcical 'war on drugs' happening right now in Colombia and Afghanistan. The fact that Linklater didn't expand on this concept makes me wonder what happened. Did he drop the ball, or did the suits at Warner Independent Pictures order him not to pursue that idea?

Then there's the animation style. As with Waking Life, A Scanner Darkly uses rotoscoping technology. For the uninitiated, rotoscoping is animation placed over live-action scenes, creating a surreal experience. It's perfect for this movie, as it explores the descent of narcotics cop Fred (Keanu Reeves) into drug-fueled hell. Fred is hooked on Substance-D, a highly addictive narcotic that causes the two sides of the user's brain to diverge, creating a Jekyll-and-Hyde effect. Fred eventually realizes that he is also drug dealer Bob Arctor, Fred's biggest target. The difference between Fred's two states could have been more clearly shown in the film. Coming after Waking Life, A Scanner Darkly's animation style represents a major step backward for Linklater.

So what about the acting? Reeves plays a note-perfect addict, but he loses it in the final sequence, when his drug abuse turns his character into a shambling wreck. Downey and Harrelson do the best they can with what they have, but the script reduces them to one-note characters. And Ryder's highly-mannered acting was charming back when she was in Heathers or Reality Bites, but it doesn't work now that she's in her mid-30's. On the other hand, Rory Cochrane just about steals the film as a delusional druggie in the final stages of his addiction.

Which leaves us with the script. Linklater telegraphs A Scanner Darkly's biggest plot twist early on: that the people fighting the hardest against Substance-D are also the ones creating the drug. This decision is problematic on so many levels. If Dick's plots come off as clichéd to modern sensibilities, that's because he *created* the paranoia sci-fi genre, and many of those clichés. Linklater should have trusted that his audiences (more educated than the usual moviegoer) would have recognized this, instead of weakening his script the way he did.

As it stands, A Scanner Darkly is not a bad movie. I give it a 6/10. But it could've been so much better.

Trailers with A Scanner Darkly include The Simpsons Movie, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and Miami Vice.

Print Article

Email Article

View All Articles

How to subscribe to feeds