Writer-Director:
Richard Linklater
Cast:
Keanu Reeves – Bob Arctor
Robert Downey Jr. – James Barris
Winona Ryder – Donna Hawthorne
Woody Harrelson – Ernie Luckman
Rory Cochrane – Charles Freck
Warner Bros. presents A Scanner Darkly. Based on the novel by Philip K. Dick. Running time: 100 minutes. Rated R (for drug and sexual content, language and a brief violent image). DVD release date: December 19, 2006. MSRP: $27.98.
Seven years from now it will be 2014. During this passage of time we will most likely be discovering new technologies and developing new time-saving gadgets. In this regard, there won’t be many differences between 2007 and 2015. What with high-definition TVs, iPods (and now iPhones), and HD-DVDs. That is, unless our world starts to bare a striking resemblance to the one envisioned by Science-Fiction maestro Philip K. Dick. His A Scanner Darkly presents a reality not unlike our own. People are under constant surveillance. Phone conversations are being tapped. Protestors are being subdued by tasers and carted away by authorities.
But the catalyst isn’t religious fanaticism or the overpopulation of illegal immigrants. The core of the problem is drug addiction and a lethal narcotic known as Substance D.
Published in 1977, the novel was Dick’s remembrance to friends and loved ones. The author saw firsthand at how drugs were destroying those he loved. The novel was also introspective of changing times — because with the Watergate scandal taking place, and the FBI shadowing certain individuals, paranoia was widespread.
Close to thirty years after its publication, A Scanner Darkly is faithfully adapted by Texas native, writer-director Richard Linklater. The cautionary tale is of a world “seven years from now” where drug addiction has expanded exponentially. To counteract Substance D, select narcotics officers go deep undercover to snuff out groups of people where the drug is prevalent, and where those groups may be planning terrorist acts.
Like he did with Waking Life, Linklater utilizes a process known as “Rotoscoping.” The process is a kind of liquid animation in which each frame of film is animated with the help of computers. The effect is strange, but the trippy images add dimension to the film and sometimes compensate for a discombobulated narrative.
The hero is Fred (Keanu Reeves), an Anaheim, Calif., narc. His introduction is made while delivering an anti-drug speech to a local lodge group. Wearing a “scramble suit”, which is a suit that constantly changes his appearance, making him look like a blur, he loses focuses. He is tired. Tired of repeating his purpose and effects of Substance D. Afterwards, he returns to police headquarters disillusioned. It is there he undergoes a battery of psychological tests to determine if his head is on straight. Following the tests, Fred meets with his superior about investigating a man named Bob Arctor, who may be trafficking Substance D.
The kicker is that Fred is Bob Arctor. He just doesn’t know it. At least not right now.
With the monetary success of The Matrix and its sequels, Keanu Reeves has the freedom to choose his projects without wondering if it will be a success. Here, his Fred/Bob Arctor character seems subtle and detached, and is a hair smarter than his Ted Theodore Logan character in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Though, his experimentation with Substance D isn’t helping his cause.
If a wishy-washy head wasn’t enough to worry about, Fred/Bob spends most of his time lounging with his roommates James (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Ernie (Woody Harrelson). The pair of dope fiends are just a few brain cells saner than their friend Freck (Rory Cochrane) — a full-blown wacko. Also part of Fred’s life is Donna Hawthorne (Winona Ryder), a woman with whom he is growing frustrated. He likes her in a starry-eyed sort of way, but she distances herself, feeling that her coke usage clouds her judgment as far as sexual situations are concerned.
As Scanner progresses, and Fred’s job and private life become a recurrent experience, questions arise: What is real, and what is fake? We aren’t the only ones who want to know. Fred also wonders if he is living in a nightmare or if this is in fact a reality.
Ideas are abound, but some may feel slighted by the film overall. The dialogue can be unnerving to those unsuspecting viewers. The cast more than holds its own, however. Woody Harrelson and Robert Downey Jr. both steal their share of scenes — Downey with his monologues, Harrelson with his “wigged out” sensibility. Even better is Rory Cochrane as Freck. A peculiar character no doubt, he is the poster boy for excessive Substance D usage.
Some may disagree with how this film ends, but in my estimation the ending makes the film that much better. The realization is one of wonderment. And it is stands as a metaphor for the actions Philip K. Dick witnessed then (the 1970’s) and our society today.
THE VIDEO
(Presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen)
With Richard Linklater’s decision to animate his film, it allows for interesting visuals. So much so, this transfer is splendid-looking. Vivid colors and no imperfections that I could tell. Special attention should be paid to the scramble suit and mind-bending hallucinations.
THE AUDIO
(English — Dolby Digital 5.1)
Just like the video quality, A Scanner Darkly comes with a crisp soundtrack. If you have a capable surround sound set-up, you will notice more atmospheric ambiance. Also, composer Graham Reynolds gives us a haunting score that is part up-tempo, other times discouraging. Dialogue is free from any problems, like distortion. The disc also includes optional English, French and Spanish subtitles.
SPECIAL FEATURES
A Scanner Darkly arrives on DVD with a small assortment of extras, the first of which is a commentary track with Linklater, Reeves, producer Tommy Pallotta, author/Philip K. Dick historian Jonathan Lethem and Dick’s daughter Isa Hackett. It has its slow spots, some sequences in the beginning are mute. Of particular interest is Hackett letting us know that her father’s novel was the first novel he wrote in which he wasn’t on any amphetamines. Since I really enjoyed the ending, I flash-forwarded to here what the participants had to say. It was an oxymoron: “Tragically hopeful.”
Up next is One Summer in Austin: The Story of Filming A Scanner Darkly (26:23). This making-of includes archival footage of Philip K. Dick speaking at a 1977 Science Fiction Festival, but the meat of the featurette is interviews and sound bites with the cast and crew. They discuss many of the same points I have above — paranoia, and how the story is relevant in today’s landscape — and the stars offer insightful details on the characters they play. Of particular interest to aspiring actors is Robert Downey Jr.’s methodology for line memorization.
The other featurette included is The Weight of The Line: Animation Tales (20:45). Here we get an idea of the Rotoscoping process. In what was thought to have been twelve months of post-production, instead takes 18. The film was primarily shot in Austin, Texas, with some footage (mostly for green screen effects) coming from California. Bob Sabiston and his team of animators worked diligently in post-production. The average time spent to get one minute of animated footage for the film was 100 hours. Yeesh. Talk about dedication.
The remaining extra is the film’s theatrical trailer.
THE INSIDE PULSE
Richard Linklater just continues to amaze with his directing efforts. From Slacker to Dazed and Confused to his kid friendly School of Rock and Bad News Bears, he seems to be able to move effortlessly from the independents to mainstream entertainment. His adaptation of author Philip K. Dick’s A Scanner Darkly is an important work, because the themes discussed are as prevalent now as they were when first introduced in 1977. With Rotoscoping at his disposal, Linklater has created a world where drug addiction is an escalating problem and a hero in Keanu Reeves that is both manipulative of those around him and a victim for those he serves. Definitely not a movie for everyone, it gets a strong recommendation for those who enjoy the writings of Philip K. Dick or are fans of Linklater’s independent films.
