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A Scanner Darkly review
:. Director: Richard Linklater
:. Starring: Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder
:. Running Time: 1:40
:. Year: 2006
:. Country: USA
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Richard Linklater likes to work on a series and this adaptation of a Philip K. Dick novel can be considered as the second chapter of his work on formats — rather than themes — as he leaves Waking Life's philosophical and metaphorical spheres to push the boundaries of the rotoscoping process into the even more ambitious universe of Dick's brainy science-fiction.
Centered on the investigation about a druggie couple incarnated by Keanu Reeves & Winona Ryder, this take on Scanner Darkly is an animated satire dipped in a thick layer of anti-establishment. We follow the investigation of an undercover agent as he tries to take down a drug ring by spying on his own friends.
While I haven't read this novel, attesting to earlier adaptations of Dick's other novels, from Blade Runner to , Total Recall, Screamers, mposter & Paycheck, it's clear that this adaptation is a departure from the usual darkness and intensity of his work, with the filmmaker injecting a strong dose of comedy in this picture. In the hands of Linklater, A Scanner Darkly turns into a stoner comedy, which isn't surprising coming from the man behind Dazed and Confused, but turns into in an unfortunate dilution of paranoia and conspiracy, considerably undermining the impact of the ensemble.
While most of the scenes involving the always fun Robert Downey, Jr. seem to work, the opening ant scene as well as the sequences featuring Woody Harrelson verge on overacting, barely acceptable here and they would be too over-the-top in a live feature. Of course you might argue that it's not a live film but animated, but in this case the technical aspect and realistic approach make it so hard categorize that the piece ends up being judged from each angle, while the brilliant Waking Life could clearly be assimilated as an animated esoteric work.
While the emphasis on comedy gives this film a formulaic structure, somewhat akin to Disney-Pixar-animation for adults, more embarrassing is the fact that by spending too much time on entertainment, Linklater neglects the exposition which makes the story confusing.
Of course, everything isn't bad here, from the dark anti-government ending to the animation itself. I also particularly enjoyed the fact that this white-trash and conservative universe is located in Orange County (aka the OC), a shameless and boring Republican haven where I spent many years of my life. Some might also be amused that one of the rare films where both Reeves and Ryder dare to show some flesh and action has to be animated!
Does A Scanner Darkly need to be seen and supported? Certainly, but the premise of rotoscoping that seemed more appropriate for sci-fi than philosophy has highly been misused here, wasted on down-to-earth segments, rather than transcending the entire picture and story. Linklater's film is one those failed works for which we can't help having affection and, since he works on series, let's hope that the next chapter will fully embrace the infinite possibilities of rotoscoping.
Fred Thom
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