A Scanner DarklySome drugs transport you away from reality, but not all trips come with a return ticket. A Scanner Darkly is a black comedy and metaphysical drama set "seven years in the future", where drug abuse is so widespread that highly complex and sophisticated methods have been adopted by law enforcement to get a leg up on the epidemic. Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) is a "narc" (an undercover narcotics officer) who is trying to discover the next link in the distribution chain of a powerful hallucinogenic called "Substance D". To that end, he has infiltrated a group of addicts, periodically checking in with the police under his alias, "Fred". Despite Bob's anonymity being protected by a sophisticated optical camouflage called a "scrambler suit", he becomes addicted to Substance D in the course of his investigation, and ends up assigned to narc on none other than himself, Bob Arctor.
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A Scanner Darkly was adapted for the screen by Richard Linklater from the novel of the same name by Philip K. Dick, and it is arguably one of the most faithful adaptations of one of the more unusual entries from Dick's body of work, best known for philosophical science fiction stories with hi-tech, futuristic settings. While A Scanner Darkly is technically set in the future, the landscape of Los Angeles is virtually identical to today, save for the evolved drug scene and the commensurate increase in the scope of law enforcement to manage it. The "war on drugs" continues like an arms race, turning ordinary citizens into pawns or proxies of these two opposing forces--collateral damage. Substance D--aptly called "death" by users--causes a specific kind of brain damage, one that impairs the addict's cognitive abilities, making it difficult for them to differentiate between what is real and what is imagined while their brain's hemispheres compete with one another for dominance. This cognitive dissonance is a metaphor for the emotional conflict that Arctor experiences in his job as a narc, forced to lead a double life at all times. (Coincidentally, "Arctor" sounds a bit like "actor".) This also helps audiences comprehend the intense feelings of paranoia that come with drug abuse--a cocktail of consciously doing something illegal with the anxiety of experiencing an altered state of being. The rotoscoped animation style in A Scanner Darkly--also used in Linklater's Waking Life--is meant to simulate the distorted perception of reality that accompanies drug use.
Bob flashbacks reveal that his life was not always filled with the squalor and detritus of a squandered life destroyed by drugs--he was once a family man who lost his sense of direction. His connections with a collective of addicts made him a prime candidate for his job in the police department--a nice way of saying he's being used. Bob's introduction has him giving a banal speech laden with propaganda to solicit donations. He is unconvinced in the anti-drug polemic he proffers, his scrambler suit doubling as his clown suit for this patronizing display of police effectiveness. Bob describes that the organic component of Substance D comes from a little blue flower, a detail revisited during a psychological evaluation in a passing mention that intimates that drugs have become an inseparable part of Bob's life, both on and off the job. Deception is a key motif in A Scanner Darkly--it is a core characteristic of an addict, and Bob convinces himself that by doing Substance D, he will be more convincing as an undercover operative; he also uses this as leverage to buy drugs off of his supplier and girlfriend, Donna Hawthorne (Winona Ryder). Bob is a proverbial onion of deception--layers upon layers that make it difficult to know who the real "Bob Arctor" is. He and his boss, "Hank", only interact while wearing scrambler suits, so neither of them know the other's identity, revealing a deep undercurrent of distrust in his professional life. When Hank lets slip something that only Bob would know, Bob (as Fred) is forced to pretend he doesn't understand so as to not blow his cover with his own boss. Fred is given access to sophisticated surveillance equipment, which has been installed to monitor Arctor's home and record illegal activity. But Fred is also given the ability to "edit" himself out of scenes--with the understanding that if he edits himself out of too many, he'll reveal that he is also Bob Arctor. These moments underscore the rampant paranoid streak running through A Scanner Darkly, where nothing can be taken for granted.
Bob's two roommates are the loquacious and narcissistic Barris (Robert Downey Jr.) and the towheaded lug Luckman (Woody Harrelson), who have since made Bob's house theirs, exemplifying archetypal drug addicts. Their interactions alternate between "Three Stooges"-esque antics--like their evaluation of a stolen bicycle Barris bought--to guarded conversations filled with insinuations, with Bob suspecting Barris of something sinister and/or vice versa, compounding Bob's paranoia. When Luckman tells a story about a man who posed as a professional impostor, Bob hallucinates that both Barris and Luckman have transformed into oversized bugs, a Kafkaesque allusion to his anxiety about being monitored, since a "bug" is slang for a concealed surveillance device. A Scanner Darkly is a cautionary tale about drug abuse, but also a dark comedy that observes the kind of bizarre experiences that someone under the effects of psychotropic drugs might experience. A Scanner Darkly opens with one of the most memorable and hysterical scenes from the novel, where one of Bob's inner circle--a skittish junkie named Charles Freck (Rory Cochrane)--believes that his entire body is being bitten by aphids. He scratches to no avail, takes a shower to no avail, believes he sees the little bugs on his dog, and proceeds to bring the confused pet with him into the shower. But the highs that come with these delightfully absurd moments subside as Bob's cognitive abilities and health deteriorate under the influence of Substance D, making it painfully clear that the party's over when the crash finally comes. Philip K. Dick dedicated his novel to a group of friends whom he regarded as being unfairly punished for experimenting with drug use during an age when it was new and the dangers were not fully understood. Arguments could be made as to whether A Scanner Darkly advocates for or against drugs, but the answer is not as black and white as to whether drugs are "good" or "evil"; they are merely another weapon two organizations use as a means to control society. And because of the lack of understanding and legitimate education about them, these forces pose an even greater fundamental threat than the drugs themselves.
Recommended for: Fans of a dark comedy and psychedelic science fiction film mashed together about everything from drug abuse, conspiracies, "Big Brother", and mind control--it even has a cameo by Alex Jones. A Scanner Darkly is an ambitious offering by an ambitious director, with a tight cast of talented actors portraying convincingly paranoid junkies without descending into caricature.
Bob flashbacks reveal that his life was not always filled with the squalor and detritus of a squandered life destroyed by drugs--he was once a family man who lost his sense of direction. His connections with a collective of addicts made him a prime candidate for his job in the police department--a nice way of saying he's being used. Bob's introduction has him giving a banal speech laden with propaganda to solicit donations. He is unconvinced in the anti-drug polemic he proffers, his scrambler suit doubling as his clown suit for this patronizing display of police effectiveness. Bob describes that the organic component of Substance D comes from a little blue flower, a detail revisited during a psychological evaluation in a passing mention that intimates that drugs have become an inseparable part of Bob's life, both on and off the job. Deception is a key motif in A Scanner Darkly--it is a core characteristic of an addict, and Bob convinces himself that by doing Substance D, he will be more convincing as an undercover operative; he also uses this as leverage to buy drugs off of his supplier and girlfriend, Donna Hawthorne (Winona Ryder). Bob is a proverbial onion of deception--layers upon layers that make it difficult to know who the real "Bob Arctor" is. He and his boss, "Hank", only interact while wearing scrambler suits, so neither of them know the other's identity, revealing a deep undercurrent of distrust in his professional life. When Hank lets slip something that only Bob would know, Bob (as Fred) is forced to pretend he doesn't understand so as to not blow his cover with his own boss. Fred is given access to sophisticated surveillance equipment, which has been installed to monitor Arctor's home and record illegal activity. But Fred is also given the ability to "edit" himself out of scenes--with the understanding that if he edits himself out of too many, he'll reveal that he is also Bob Arctor. These moments underscore the rampant paranoid streak running through A Scanner Darkly, where nothing can be taken for granted.
Bob's two roommates are the loquacious and narcissistic Barris (Robert Downey Jr.) and the towheaded lug Luckman (Woody Harrelson), who have since made Bob's house theirs, exemplifying archetypal drug addicts. Their interactions alternate between "Three Stooges"-esque antics--like their evaluation of a stolen bicycle Barris bought--to guarded conversations filled with insinuations, with Bob suspecting Barris of something sinister and/or vice versa, compounding Bob's paranoia. When Luckman tells a story about a man who posed as a professional impostor, Bob hallucinates that both Barris and Luckman have transformed into oversized bugs, a Kafkaesque allusion to his anxiety about being monitored, since a "bug" is slang for a concealed surveillance device. A Scanner Darkly is a cautionary tale about drug abuse, but also a dark comedy that observes the kind of bizarre experiences that someone under the effects of psychotropic drugs might experience. A Scanner Darkly opens with one of the most memorable and hysterical scenes from the novel, where one of Bob's inner circle--a skittish junkie named Charles Freck (Rory Cochrane)--believes that his entire body is being bitten by aphids. He scratches to no avail, takes a shower to no avail, believes he sees the little bugs on his dog, and proceeds to bring the confused pet with him into the shower. But the highs that come with these delightfully absurd moments subside as Bob's cognitive abilities and health deteriorate under the influence of Substance D, making it painfully clear that the party's over when the crash finally comes. Philip K. Dick dedicated his novel to a group of friends whom he regarded as being unfairly punished for experimenting with drug use during an age when it was new and the dangers were not fully understood. Arguments could be made as to whether A Scanner Darkly advocates for or against drugs, but the answer is not as black and white as to whether drugs are "good" or "evil"; they are merely another weapon two organizations use as a means to control society. And because of the lack of understanding and legitimate education about them, these forces pose an even greater fundamental threat than the drugs themselves.
Recommended for: Fans of a dark comedy and psychedelic science fiction film mashed together about everything from drug abuse, conspiracies, "Big Brother", and mind control--it even has a cameo by Alex Jones. A Scanner Darkly is an ambitious offering by an ambitious director, with a tight cast of talented actors portraying convincingly paranoid junkies without descending into caricature.