A Scanner Darkly

January 4, 2007

Rated: R Runtime: 100 min Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

A Scanner Darkly is one trippy ride that hooks you with it’s unique look and keeps you on board for the story. The movie is animated, but it’s done using real actors, so the look is very cool. Being animated also allows for some cool visuals that would have cost a fortune using CGI.

A Scanner Darkly The basic story is of an undercover cop (Keanu Reeves) who’s working his way up the ladder in a drug organization, who in the line of duty also has to partake of said drugs. Unfortunately for him this drug causes brain damage resulting in paranoia, hallucinations, and a general loss of ones identity. This only happens if you’ve been taking them for a long time or in large doses… but he’s been on this case for quite a while, and it’s been very stressful.

To make matters worse, the police never know each other’s true identities. They wear bodysuits that constantly shift their appearance when in the office and never enter/exit by the same door. This is fantastic as an officer can’t get burned by a potential dirty cop, but if you’re having delusions you could see how this might become a problem. Who am I? Who is this guy I’m watching video of? I should take him down! You get the idea.

The acting is first rate as you’d expect from this cast, and the writing is excellent. Just wait until Robert Downey Jr. buys an 18 speed bike off the street and Woody Harrelson figures out that 9 of the gears are missing. It’s classic stoner dialog that reminds me of college.. others of course, I would never do such a thing.

If you’ve got a couple of beers or perhaps something stronger, pop this one in the DVD player and see what you think. If you’re into good dialog and/or great art direction, you’ll also want to give it a shot. If you just want things to explode then you’ll think my 4 star rating is nuts, but at least you have boobs to look at.

Posted by John | Filed Under 4 Stars, DVD, Drama, Keanu Reeves, Mitch Baker, R, Robert Downey Jr,, SciFi, Winona Ryder, Woody Harrelson