Barnes & Noble

Some films have cult status written all over them. Shot in live action with an A-list cast and then transferred into an animated feature via the technically complex “rotoscope” process, this scrupulously faithful adaptation of a Philip K. Dick novel is a dazzling, if disturbing, tour de force. Director Richard Linklater, employing the same animation technique he first used in 2001’s Waking Life, has captured the essence of Dick’s dystopian tale and its obsession with identity crises, drug-fed paranoia, and government surveillance on an Orwellian scale. Set in an Orange County suburb in the near future, A Scanner Darkly posits the emergence of a highly addictive drug known as Substance D (the “D” stands for “dumbness, despair, desertion, and death”). Seemingly innocuous homeowner Robert Arctor (Keanu Reeves), the amiable host to hangers-on Jim Barris (Robert Downey Jr.) and Ernie Luckman (Woody Harrelson), works as an undercover narcotics agent but has become addicted himself. While romancing drug dealer Donna Hawthorne (Winona Ryder) in an attempt to learn her supplier’s identity, Arctor is ordered to run surveillance on his own home: One of his guests is suspected of being Donna’s top customer. Linklater’s unusually dense screenplay and fleet narrative style never coddle the viewer -- repeated screenings gradually reveal even deeper layers to this dark, innovative sci-fi thriller. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

The war on drugs has been lost, and when a reluctant undercover cop is ordered to spy on those he is closest to, the toll that the mission takes on his sanity is too great to comprehend in director Richard Linklater's rotoscoped take on Philip K. Dick's classic novel. With stratospheric concern over national security prompting paranoid government officials to begin spying on citizens, trust is a luxury and everyone is a suspected criminal until proven otherwise. Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) is a narcotics officer who is issued an order to spy on his friends and report back to headquarters. In addition to being a cop, though, Arctor is also an addict. His drug of choice is a ubiquitous street drug called Substance D, a drug known well for producing split personalities in its users. Jason Buchanan

Product Details

• UPC: 012569829664
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled
• Time: 1:40:00
• Sales Rank: 26,577

Features: