IMDb > A Scanner Darkly (2006)
A Scanner Darkly
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A Scanner Darkly (2006) More at IMDbPro »

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A Scanner Darkly -- An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result.
A Scanner Darkly -- An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result.
A Scanner Darkly -- CineMagia.ro - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   41,714 votes »
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Up 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Philip K. Dick (novel)
Richard Linklater (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for A Scanner Darkly on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 July 2006 (USA) See more »
Tagline:
What Does A Scanner See? See more »
Plot:
An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Awards:
2 wins & 6 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(95 articles)
Den Of Geek Loves Robert Downey Jr.
 (From Den of Geek. 3 August 2010, 8:45 PM, PDT)

"A Town Called Panic" and Loads of Noir on DVD
 (From IFC. 20 July 2010, 6:46 AM, PDT)

Why A Scanner Darkly deserves a second look
 (From Den of Geek. 21 June 2010, 9:51 PM, PDT)

User Reviews:
extraordinary and faithful adaptation of one of PK Dick's most personal See more (277 total) »

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Rory Cochrane ... Charles Freck

Robert Downey Jr. ... James Barris

Mitch Baker ... Brown Bear Lodge Host

Keanu Reeves ... Bob Arctor
Sean Allen ... Additional Fred Scramble Suit Voice (voice)
Cliff Haby ... Voice from Headquarters (voice)

Steven Chester Prince ... Cop

Winona Ryder ... Donna Hawthorne
Natasha Valdez ... Waitress
Mark Turner ... Additional Hank Scramble Suit Voice (voice)

Woody Harrelson ... Ernie Luckman

Chamblee Ferguson ... Medical Deputy #2

Angela Rawna ... Medical Deputy #1

Eliza Stevens ... Arctor's Daughter #1
Sarah Menchaca ... Arctor's Daughter #2
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"Scanner Darkly" - Japan (English title)
See more »
MPAA:
Rated R for drug and sexual content, language and a brief violent image.
Runtime:
100 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Ireland:16 | UK:15 | Australia:M | Finland:K-15 | Italy:T | Singapore:M18 (cut) | New Zealand:R13 | Argentina:16 | USA:R (certificate #42344) | South Korea:15 | Malaysia:18PL (DVD) | Brazil:16 | Japan:R-15 | Germany:16 | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Sweden:15 | Norway:15 (TV rating)
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In one scene, Barris unsuccessfully attempts to create a pistol silencer, disturbing the people around him with loud gunshots while testing it. Sherlock Holmes (2009) also features a character played by Robert Downey Jr. doing this.See more »
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: After the car breaks down on the freeway, they cut to a scene where the car is facing backwards on a flatbed tow truck. If the car was picked up on the freeway, it would be facing forward unless the tow truck picked up the car from the rear which on the freeway would be highly unlikely.See more »
Quotes:
[first lines]
Freck:[on the phone] I looked them up. They're aphids. They're in my hair, on my skin, in my lungs. And the pain, Barris, it's unreasonable. They're all over the place. Oh, they've completely gotten Millie too.
See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Sherlock Holmes (2009)See more »
Soundtrack:
FogSee more »

FAQ

Is Substance D based on a real drug? What are its effects?
Who are the people listed as casualties just before the credits roll?
What happened to Freck?
See more »
296 out of 321 people found the following review useful.
extraordinary and faithful adaptation of one of PK Dick's most personal, 7 July 2006
Author: imaginarytruths from United States

When someone on a trip starts to wig out, you take them someplace quiet and talk soothingly and assure them that everything's going to be OK. But as the tagline of this film makes clear, for these characters everything is most definitely NOT going to be OK.

For those who haven't read the book, it's important to know what you're getting into. PK Dick wrote this novel as a way of telling the story of how he and his friends in the early '70s damaged and destroyed themselves with drugs. He tells this story within the framework of a surreal science fiction thriller, but many of the scenes are straight from his own experiences with the unpleasant consequences of people using drugs and disintegrating mentally.

This film does an amazing job of capturing the feel and tone of the book as well as the paranoia, perceptual distortions, and chaos of hallucinogenic overindulgence. Add to that a story that only gradually emerges from the madness, but by the end brings in a lot of heavy ideas such as the existence of free will, whether ends justify means, etc. There is a sense of consequence to what happens in the film, a sense of despair at what has been lost. So this story of drug-addled losers becomes the story of the human struggle for identity and meaning.

I have a couple of minor quibbles regarding scenes from the book that only partially made the cut (no explanation for the significance of "If I'd known it was harmless I would have killed it myself, no little kid to explain how 6 and 3 gears means 18 speeds). Still, most adaptations of PK Dick stories take a few basic ideas and try to shape them into more conventional films that fit into established genres. Even when it works, such as with Blade Runner or Total Recall, it's not really PK Dick. Not so this film. This is PK in all his dark and perverse and deeply thoughtful glory.

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (277 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Preachy anti-drug garbage. roidkthx
That cloaking technology........we already have prototypes! spaceboy3101
About the FAQ on Donna vs. Connie... J_win7
Question Krown
Barris' Coke Scheme Max-Maxwell-42
I have some GOOD questions??? Tonkpilsrus
See more »

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