- Philip K. Dick (short story)
- Richard Linklater (screenplay)
- George Clooney
- Ben Cosgrove
- Jennifer Fox
- John Sloss
- Steven Soderbergh
A Scanner Darkly is a 2006 sci-fi thriller written and directed by Richard Linklater based on the novel of the same name by Philip K. Dick. Set in a near-future dystopia (a common Dickian theme), the film tells the story of identity and deception as citizens are constantly under intrusive high-tech police surveillance in the midst of a drug addiction epidemic. The movie was filmed digitally and then animated using interpolated rotoscope over the original footage, giving it its distinctive look.
The film was screened at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, and the 2006 Seattle International Film Festival, and was nominated for the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form.
Plot
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.[1]
Cast[2]
Rory Cochrane -as- Charles Freck Robert Downey Jr. -as- James Barris Keanu Reeves -as- Bob Arctor Winona Ryder -as- Donna Hawthorne Woody Harrelson -as- Ernie Luckman Natasha Valdez -as- Waitress Mitch Baker -as- Brown Bear Lodge Host Steven Chester Prince -as- Cop Mark Turner -as- Additional Hank Scramble Suit Voice (voice) Sean Allen -as- Additional Fred Scramble Suit Voice (voice) Cliff Haby -as- Voice from Headquarters (voice)
Links
Trailers
