![A Scanner Darkly [DVD] [2006]](https://i2.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71dKPUI0ZnL._AC_SL1140_.jpg?ssl=1 "A Scanner Darkly [DVD] [2006]")
A Scanner Darkly [DVD] [2006]
Original price was: £7.17.£6.65Current price is: £6.65.
Price: EUR7.17 - EUR 6.65
(as of Apr 06, 2026 14:28:37 UTC – Details)
Richard Linklater writes and directs this American rotoscoped thriller based on the novel by Philip K. Dick. 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. 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 to cause bizarre hallucinations and produce split personalities in its users. The cast also includes Robert Downey Jr, Woody Harrelson and Winona Ryder.
Aspect Ratio : 16:9 – 1.85:1
Is discontinued by manufacturer : No
Language : English
Product Dimensions : 19 x 13.5 x 1.4 cm; 60 g
Audio Description: : English
Manufacturer reference : 7321900594189
Director : Richard Linklater
Media Format : PAL
Run time : 1 hour and 40 minutes
Release date : 22 Jan. 2007
Actors : Keanu Reeves, Mitch Baker, Robert Downey Jr, Rory Cochrane, Woody Harrelson
Subtitles: : English
Language : English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Studio : Warner Bros. Home Ent.
Producers : Anne Walker-McBay, Erwin Stoff, Jonah Smith, Palmer West, Tommy Pallotta
ASIN : B000K7JX38
Writers : Richard Linklater
Number of discs : 1
Best Sellers Rank: 6,740 in DVD & Blu-ray (See Top 100 in DVD & Blu-ray) 524 in Animation (DVD & Blu-ray) 931 in Thriller (DVD & Blu-ray)
Customer reviews: 4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars (219) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
9 reviews for A Scanner Darkly [DVD] [2006]
Add a review
Related Products
Original price was: £7.17.£6.65Current price is: £6.65.
Evey –
Twisted and outstanding
This film was tragic, moving, saddening, hilarious and frightening. Although it has been labelled as sci-fi, I wouldn’t call it as such – it is set in the future but I don’t believe it is really much different the world we have today.This film addresses many questions on issues which include drugs, the use of CCTV, the use of covert operations and the growing paranoia induced by all these issues.I would describe this film as one of those that starts at the end, in other words I was more interested in what happened after the film ended, and it left me disappointed finding the ending cut short a film which could have delved so much deeper into the human mind. However, that utterly explains the true brilliance of this film – leading you into a world that you cannot leave, cannot stop thinking about as you try to resolve the issues it raises. It lets you, the viewer, do the rest of the work.The animation was stunning, it did not detract from the film but added to the level of abstraction. I’m not sure if it was intended but it felt very much as if I was spying on the characters and the animation only added to that feeling, you knew the characters were real only you were looking at them through an animated screen as if emphasising that you were watching them through a device. A TV screen, within a TV screen so to speak. I found the characters incredibly perplexing – played by Winona Rider, Keanu Reeves, Woody Harrelson, Robert Downey Jr and Rory Cochran. None of these characters were their ‘true’ selves whether influenced by drugs or people these characters were playing characters within characters, whether they were aware of it or not.The plot line was not a traditional plot which tells a set story from beginning to end. It seems as if the plot was snapshots of the characters lives stuck together in order for the viewer to piece together the story it meant to tell. The story is told in the way that follows the laws and nature of the characters world, not our world.I was left feeling moved and enlightened by the film and even now I am still asking questions about the many aspects and layers of the film both political and philosophical.I would say it was a cross between Vanilla Sky, Fear n Loathing in LA and 1984 by George Orwell. Enjoy!!
Charles Wolf –
To become a cult.
It’s not very often that Phillip K. Dick’s writings get adapted well on to the screen. Films like Paycheck and Impostor might have there moments, but there is much lacking where high-tech action scenes and dreary direction replaces more of the thought in his work. Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly, however, could be part of that handful of films (the others Scott’s Blade Runner and Spielberg’s Minority Report) that do justice to his sensibilities as both a science-fiction spinner and social satirist. The technique he uses to add some imagination is, at first assumption, interesting but a little outdated. Rotoscoping the live action with animation has been done since the late 70’s, and Linklater himself used it for maybe his most philosophically complex film Waking Life. Here though the same technique he used before is put into a narrative that, compared to Waking Life, is non-linear to the point that it is very faithful to Dick’s work. But there’s more than meets the eye, literally, to what Linklater is doing with his technique. It really does fit the mood of the film, one where to abscond is almost second nature, but the control over thought and the similarly powerful self-destruction comes at high prices for decent people.To discuss the story would have to involve much explanation of the characters, who they may (or may not as case is) be, and how drugs make up the integral, damned environment.Keanu Reeves is in one of his best performances, arguably, as Bob Arcter, apart of dealing what is called Substance-D, a very detrimental narcotic that sooner or later starts to play serious tricks on a person’s mind (left brain vs. right brain is in many scenes). But Reeves is also Officer Fred, who has been assigned to infiltrate a group of addicts who might lead him and his police force into the higher networks of drug distribution. Those around him in his “undercover” state are James Barris (Robert Downey Jr), Ernie Luckman (Woody Harrelson), Charles Freck (Rory Chochrane), and in one of the most crucial parts to the story Donna (Winona Ryder, quite a good comeback part). I don’t want to say more because it would spoil the surprise..In A Scanner Darkly, however, the lines of morality are never totally clear, and the ambiguity goes along as little pieces start to fit together. There’s real paranoia, real mis-trust, a shifting of cognizance that becomes startling. One scene in particular, when Reeves is in bed with a woman and can’t figure on if she is really SHE or not, and then goes over in video, is an excellent take on the depths to which SubstanceD -fictional for the film’s sake but related to many real substances- and how the style connects very much so to the substance (no pun intended) in the film.The style itself, provided by the animation directors, gives some immediate fascinations for the viewer. The whole idea of a character putting on a suit and being able to shift around faces and clothing at a second a clip provides such catching beats each time. And there are more than a few instances where the style of rotoscoping itself, which makes the film seem immediately like a ‘take drugs and watch this movie’, is called into question. One might then ask before going into A Scanner Darkly, where the control of products that act as controls &/or inhibitors, is anti-drug or pro-drug. Linklater has several potent questions that are posed into the film and that may fizzle, especially towards the last ten minutes.And what is even more surprising, and closer to being a relief, is that the film isn’t even too preachy either. In fact, I was laughing through scenes in the middle bulk of the film, as Downey and Harrelson’s characters made for some very sharp, witty lines and odd actions.In short, it’s got a different, ‘quirky’ artistry that combines some very good cinematography with so much that is tested with colors and shading and tones on the actors and settings that I will have to watch it again to take it all in. A cool premise and a superb use of abstractions as reality in the coolest of the darkest satire of the year.
Keiko –
Dark, but illuminating!
One of the excelllent things (I think) about the Amazon DVD rental service is that you’re tempted into renting movies you wouldn’t go to the cinema to watch – what a pain spending c£15 on two tickets, drinks, nosh etc only to be disappointed. It’s worth a gamble with the rental scheme.So, A Scanner Darkly – any good? Well, in short, yes, very good indeed. Cast – excellent. Keanu Reeves plays the lead in true to form Keanu style, which fits very well into the overall paranoia feel of the film. Great support from Robert Downey Jnr and Woody Harrelson – the former truly fantastic I thought. Winona Ryder ably assists too.The animation – superb. Cericel style colouring over live action works brilliantly in this film. Don’t be put off – it really does work and adds to the rich texture of the movie.The story – great. A dark, mind disintegration of a plot, with a couple of twists, told expertly. Having seen other Philip K Dick adaptations in the big budget Hollywood style (Minority Report etc – which are very good themselves), this is highly original and, one senses, much closer to the thought processes of the author and the brooding atmosphere he wanted to convey.So, all in all, I can highly recommend this. Enjoy!
d w bagshaw –
Strange film
Quick delivery well packed and as described thank you ðNot what I was expecting very weird.
FM –
Una trasposizione intelligente, originale ed efficace di un romanzo non facile
Konrad Rosenbaum –
Einer der schrägsten Filme des Noir Genres. Ich finde es ist eine verdammt gute Umsetzung des einer Philip K. Dick Geschichte. Der Fakt dass der live gedrehte Film komplett durch Trick überzeichnet wurde macht ihn nur noch eindrücklicher – man glaubt ihn durch die Augen des drogenabhängigen Protagonisten zu sehen.
amberlang69 –
doesn’t work in Canadian DVD players
WillNtina –
Great movie. Definitely a cult movie.
Martin Hübler –
Film und Buch sind eigentlich nur teilweise Science Fiction: Substance D, der Ãberwachungsstaat und die ausgebufften Ãberwachungsmethoden. Die Realität hat mit der FARC in Kolumbien und den 80er- und 90er-Jahren Crack-Bandenkriegen in Los Angeles sowie der Einführung diverser neuer chemischer Drogen wie Crystal Meth Philip Dicks autobiographisch gefärbte Vision von 1973 teilweise fast schon eingeholt – was einmal mehr das Genie des Autors zeigt.Die schauspielerischen Leistungen, die Regie, die Tricktechnik und die Musik machen den Film zu einem beeindruckenden und beklemmenden, aber durchaus auch oft ätzend komischen und manchmal auch poetischen Erlebnis. Die Dialoge sind – zumindest in der Originalfassung – geschliffen, anspruchsvoll aber auch ziemlich deftig.Jenseits des paranoiden Plots ist der Film vor allem eine leider zeitlose Charakter- und Milieustudie, die unabhängig von der konkreten Droge und einem bestimmten historischen Kontext ist.Neben Minority Report und Blade Runner ist das die dritte herausragende Dick-Verfilmung. Sie ist leider zu Unrecht weniger bekannt.