Scanner Darkly, A (Blu-ray)

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Philip K. Dick is the Stephen King of Science Fiction. He has had numerous films adapted to film. This notable list includes Ridley Scott´s "Blade Runner," the Arnold Schwarzenegger starred "Total Recall," Steven Spielberg´s "Minority Report," John Woo´s "Paycheck," and the soon to be released "Next" starring Nicolas Cage and Julianne Moore. This film, Richard Linklater´s interpolated rotoscope animated "A Scanner Darkly" is based upon Dick´s novel of the same name. Starring Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey, Jr., Woody Harrelson, Winona Ryder and Rory Cochrane, "A Scanner Darkly" and its technique of animation finds the actors filming conventionally and then having the rotoscoping applied during post production. Pioneered by Linklater and his team of filmmakers, the rotoscoped animation allows the actors to lend not only their voices, but their performances to the animated picture.

In this adaptation of Philip K. Dick´s book, Keanu Reeves is an undercover police officer who is placed into the drug culture to help bring a stop to the social devastation caused by a powerfully addictive drug known simply as "Substance D." His character, Fred, is known to the Substance D users as Bob Arctor. Fred/Arctor has fallen to the addition of Substance D and struggles to keep his two identities separate and begins to lose grip on which of the two personalities he truly is. His roommates are Luckman (Woody Harrelson) and Barris (Robert Downey, Jr.). Luckman is a happy, go-luck Substance D user who enjoys his life, but suffers some of the paranoia and incapacity of rational thought that is a result of heavy Substance D usage. Barris keeps an outer persona that he has not fallen to the ills of Substance D, but his level of paranoia outdoes that of the others and he turns to the police to turn in Arctor, as he suspects the owner of the home he resides in to be a criminal mastermind who is plotting to do great damage to America.

Arctor´s girlfriend is Donna (Winona Ryder), a beautiful girl who is a Substance D dealer and cocaine addict. Her and Arctor have a relationship that is tied heavily around drug use and does possess some emotional involvement, but Donna has a fear of sexual contact and this is a tremendous source of friction between Arctor and Donna. Donna is the target for Arctor´s investigation and his boss, who does not know that Fred is Arctor because of the scramble suits, wants the undercover agent to either bring down Arctor or Donna in their efforts to gain ground on the lost war against Substance D. Fred cannot reveal his identity to his supervisor and his continued inability to separate Fred from Arctor complicates the investigation. Fred/Arctor is also under medical scrutiny from the police force, as they have realized he is addicted to Substance D and perhaps unable to continue with the investigation. Arctor realizes that Barris is trying to turn him in, but he must continue on with his investigation of his girlfriend, Donna.

"A Scanner Darkly" is not just an exercise in a new animation technique, but a solid adaptation of Philip K. Dick´s novel and a captivating story that keeps the viewer entertained with both its striking visuals and involved plot. Robert Downey, Jr. benefits greatly from the new animation style and the talented character actor finds his talent coming through each animated cell. Downey, Woody Harrelson, Keanu Reeves and Rory Cochrane are cast as individuals who have done a wee bit too many drugs in the film and while some may not think their performances will be a stretch from their real life personas, all do commendable jobs. Harrelson has been a long time supporter of the legalization of Marijuana, and Downey has a long history with drug-related problems and drugs is a easy cop-out to explain Keanu Reeves. Considering that "A Scanner Darkly" is a film with a defined anti-drug message, I was surprised at Harrelson´s involvement, but saw the involvement of Robert Downey, Jr. as an attempt at redemption by the actor.

The film is plot heavy and at times, the direction of the film and the nature of the characters gets clouded with the stories convoluted character problems. From one moment to the next, it is hard to understand if Barris really does have "it" together or is the most mentally scarred of the Substance D users. The Fred/Arctor collusion is a continual point of confusion and while part of the film´s intent is to show how conflicted the character is, it can be frustrating to watch. A scene involving Arctor and a prostitute is especially confusing, as it becomes unclear as to what thoughts Arctor is having about Donna. At least Rory Cochrane´s character is so completely screwed up by Substance D, that there is absolutely no questioning when it comes to his character.

"A Scanner Darkly" is an impressive experience. This was the first time I had seen the computer-assisted interpolated rotoscoping technique used by Linklater. It was previously used on his film "Waking Life," but I have not had the opportunity to witness that picture. I have loved many of Philip K. Dick´s stories, whether it be the loosely adapted short stories or the novels that have been brought to life as feature-length films. "A Scanner Darkly" may not be as impressive as either "Blade Runner," "Total Recall" or "Minority Report," and part of the reason it is not as captivating as some of the other stories is that it takes place in the very near future and does not have the deep science-fiction appeal that the other films possess. Robert Downey, Jr. was absolutely incredible in a film where he had to move past his own drug-related demons. I don´t recall a singular "Woah" by Keanu Reeves and his overly-laid back surfer-boy persona did not hurt this film in the least. This visually impressive animated film touches new ground in animation, but while much of the reason to watch this film is to digest its visual feast, it stands on its own on the merit of its storytelling and performances.