Rent A Scanner Darkly (2006)
3.0 of 5 from 351 ratings
1h 36min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
What does a scanner see? Into the head? Into the heart? From the novel by Philip L. Dick - the sci-fi legend whose works-to-film include 'Blade Runner', 'Total Recall' and 'Minority Report' - comes 'A Scanner Darkly', brought to the screen by filmmaker Richard Linklater with an edgy graphic-novel look. The time: just beyond now. The place: suburbia. The story: a twisted, funny tale of people hooked on Substance D. And of a government that cheerfully destroys its citizens - their rights, their relationships - in order to save them. Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson, Winona Ryder and Rory Cochrane play strung-out friends terrified of each other and of spies. Keanu Reeves plays a spy who's also one of the friends... until his two personalities begin to split. Enjoy the paranoia. Nobody's watching you. Really. - Actors:
- Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr., Rory Cochrane, Mitch Baker, Steven Chester Prince, Natasha Valdez, Woody Harrelson, Chamblee Ferguson, Angela Rawna, Eliza Stevens, Sarah Menchaca, Melody Chase, Turk Pipkin, Alex Jones, Lisa Marie Newmyer, Wilbur Penn, Ken Webster, Hugo Pérez, Rommel Sulit
- Directors:
- Richard Linklater
- Producers:
- Tommy Pallotta, Jonah Smith, Erwin Stoff, Anne Walker-McBay, Palmer West
- Voiced By:
- Sean Allen, Cliff Haby, Mark Turner
- Narrated By:
- Leif Anders
- Writers:
- Philip K. Dick, Richard Linklater
- Studio:
- Warner
- Genres:
- Anime & Animation, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers
- Collections:
- 10 Films to Watch if You Like Blade Runner, 2007, A History of Films Set In The Future, CinemaParadiso.co.uk Through Time, Films to Watch If You Like..., Holidays Film Collection, Romantic Film Pairings for Valentine's Day, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to Steven Soderbergh, Top 10 Cycling Films, Top Films
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 10/05/2010
- Run Time:
- 100 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English, French, Spanish
- DVD Regions:
- Region 2
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
- Colour:
- Colour
- Bonus:
- Commentary by Keanu Reeves, writer/director Richard Linklater, producer Tommy Pallotta, author Jonathan Lethem and Philip K. Dick's daughter Isa Dick Hackett
- The weight of the line: Animation tales
- Theatrical trailer
More like A Scanner Darkly
Found in these customers lists
Reviews (5) of A Scanner Darkly
Looks great but that's it! - A Scanner Darkly review by CP Customer
A fantstic film to look at, A Scanner Darkly looks like traditional animation, CGI and real life action all rolled into one. Unfortunately, the film is not well put together; it is slow paced, confusing and difficult to follow. There are some funny moments, but my overall impression from watching the film was of boredom. A shame, as the Philip K Dick novel, which I haven't read, sounds fascinating.
2 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
A warped trip through paranoia, rotoscoped into something uniquely uneasy. - A Scanner Darkly review by griggs
A Scanner Darkly is an odd but intriguing one—digitally shot then animated, giving it a woozy, off-kilter feel that suits the drug-fuelled paranoia. Without the raw footage, it’s hard to say what rotoscoping adds, but it definitely gives things a surreal edge. The story grips in parts, though it does drift. But the real issue? Linklater casting that Alex Jones again, even before his notoriety. It’s a baffling choice that totally breaks the spell.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Hmmmm - A Scanner Darkly review by CP Customer
As rubber ducky said the film looks great, a nice edgy graphic novel appearence. But film is confusing and a little muddled to say the least. Which is a shame as the film gives us great performances especially Winona Ryder, who I never really rated as an actress, but this film shows she has some genuine talent. Backing her up we have Robert Downey Jr, giving a fine comic performance as a somewhat bemused friend of Keanu and Woody Harrelson's characters, is he friend or informer?
Woody alas is at times annoyingly OTT whilst Reaves proves he isn't always as wooden as he can be in other movies. But this is a mixed package, looks great but may need more than one viewing to make it clear what's going on. It's always an ambitious thing to do, adapting a Philip K. Dick story, and it's been done before and well. Blade Runner for one but this is a valiant attempt but falls a little short. The extra features may help to clear things up somewhat, so watch the extra features, it may help understand the plot.
1 out of 2 members found this review helpful.