A Scanner Darkly (2006)

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.

Director:

Richard Linklater

Writers:

Philip K. Dick (novel), Richard Linklater (screenplay)

Stars:

Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr.

4 wins & 19 nominations.

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 Janina Valdez	...	Waitress (as Natasha Valdez)
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

Storyline

In a totalitarian society in a near future, the undercover detective Bob Arctor is working with a small time group of drug users trying to reach the big distributors of a brain-damaging drug called Substance D. His assignment is promoted by the recovery center New Path Corporation, and when Bob begins to lose his own identity and have schizophrenic behavior, he is submitted to tests to check his mental conditions.

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Plot Keywords:

rotoscoping | drugs | identity | substance d | undercover | 

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Taglines:

Everything Is Not Going To Be OK

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Genres:

Animation | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug and sexual content, language and a brief violent image

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [France] Warner Bros [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 July 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Scanner Darkly

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,700,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$391,672, 9 July 2006

Gross USA:

$5,501,616, 12 October 2006

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,659,918, 17 May 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Independent Pictures (WIP), Thousand Words, Section Eight

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Woody Harrelson co-starred with Demi Moore in Indecent Proposal (1993) and Bunraku (2010). Moore also co-starred with Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men (1992). Cruise would go on to star in Minority Report (2002) based on The Minority Report (1956), a short story by Philip K. Dick, just like A Scanner Darkly (2006) is based on A Scanner Darkly (1977), a novel that this film is based on also written by Dick.

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Goofs

(at around 10 mins) When Barris is served in the diner, french fries are scattered over his plate. When seen again, the french fries are replaced with vegetable sides.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

At the start of the ending credits, the following text appears: This has been a story about people who were punished entirely too much for what they did. I loved them all. Here is a list, to whom I dedicate my love: To Gaylene, deceased To Ray, deceased To Francy, permanent psychosis To Kathy, permanent brain damage To Jim, deceased To Val, massive permanent brain damage To Nancy, permanent psychosis To Joanne, permanent brain damage To Maren, deceased To Nick, deceased To Terry, deceased To Dennis, deceased To Phil, permanent pancreatic damage To Sue, permanent vascular damage To Jerri, permanent psychosis and vascular damage ...and so forth In memoriam. These were comrades whom I had; There are no better. They remain in my mind, and the enemy will never be forgiven. The "enemy" was their mistake in playing. Let them play again, in some other way, and let them be happy. Philip K. Dick

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Connections

Featured in The Weight of the Line: Animation Tales (2006)

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Soundtracks

Little Blue Flowers
(uncredited)
Performed by by Graham Reynolds feat. The Golden Arm Trio

User Reviews

Dick fans and drug film lovers rejoice

I love Philip K. Dick's work and was pleased with this adaptation of "A Scanner Darkly." Keanu Reeves does a really good job in the lead - he's in his element here - but he's really upstaged by Robert Downey Jr. and Woody Harrelson who engage in some surreal and hilarious conversations. It's like you're sitting with a bunch of guys tripping. Needless to say, some of the dialogue is hilarious, and I can see this film becoming another cult classic. (When they talk about two hemispheres being separate, I couldn't help but think about "Repo Man.") As for the animation, I found it a bit distracting. I think I would have preferred the use of CGI when it came to the agent suit that continually blends the faces of about 1 million people so that the agent isn't recognized. If you like drug films, then this is a must see. If that's not your bag, then you might have some problems with the film. It's sometimes obtuse and the story a bit convoluted. It's best to sit back and experience the film. It's a drug trip in itself.