---
title: "A Scanner Darkly"
year: 2006
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/a-scanner-darkly"
fi1m_id: "a-scanner-darkly"
imdb_id: "tt0405296"
tmdb_id: 3509
wikidata_id: "Q300547"
fi1m_score: 73
critics_score: 69
critics_reviews: 13
published: "2026-09-24T20:42:53.504853+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-24T20:42:54.074987+00:00"
region: "KR"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# A Scanner Darkly (2006)

Directed by Richard Linklater · 1h 40m · Animation, Science Fiction, Thriller

## Identity

A Scanner Darkly

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/a-scanner-darkly
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** a-scanner-darkly
- **IMDb ID:** tt0405296
- **TMDB ID:** 3509
- **Wikidata ID:** Q300547
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405296/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/3509, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q300547

**Fi1m score: 73** · Critics 69 from 13 reviews

*In a sentence:* Four stoners, one undercover cop, and by the end nobody in the house, including him, can say which is which

> Richard Linklater’s traced-over adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s novel stays close to the book and is funny, sad and slow. Robert Downey Jr. is the reason to sit through the middle hour; the last twenty minutes are the reason it stays with you.

## Synopsis

Anaheim, California, seven years from now. Substance D is on every street and New-Path clinics take in the people it has burned out. Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) shares a run-down suburban house with James Barris (Robert Downey Jr.), who talks in lectures, and Ernie Luckman (Woody Harrelson), who brings home a bicycle; all three are on the drug. Their friend Charles Freck (Rory Cochrane) is combing aphids that are not there out of his hair and his dog. Arctor is also Fred, an undercover narcotics officer who reports to headquarters in a scramble suit that flickers through a stranger’s face every fraction of a second, so nobody knows who he is. He loves his dealer, Donna Hawthorne (Winona Ryder), who will not let him touch her. Then Fred is ordered to put cameras in Arctor’s house and watch Arctor.

## Review

Richard Linklater films his actors in the ordinary way, has every frame traced over by hand, as he did in *Waking Life* (2001), and points the result at Philip K. Dick’s 1977 novel about a narcotics officer ordered to spy on himself. Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) lives in a sagging suburban house in Anaheim with two fellow addicts, takes Substance D with them, and reports to his superiors as Fred, inside a scramble suit that hides him from them too. Linklater stays close to the book, and to the sofa and kitchen where Dick set it. That is mostly a good thing, and it is why the middle hour is slow.

The tracing is the film. Walls breathe a little, shadows slide when nobody moves, and a face will hold still while the hair around it drifts, so that everything looks about two hours from coming apart. Shane F. Kelly’s photography underneath is plain and daylit, which is right: the strangeness is all in the drawing. The scramble suit is where the technique pays off most, a flickering skin of borrowed eyes and mouths and sleeves, a different stranger every fraction of a second. Bruce Curtis gives the house a brown sofa, brown blinds and litter on every surface, and the New-Path clinics a clean whiteness that is somehow worse.

Robert Downey Jr. plays James Barris as a man who believes he is the cleverest person in every room and has never once been right. Kari Perkins puts him in glasses and a jacket with too many pockets, and he talks like a lecturer who has lost the thread but not the confidence. The scene in which Ernie Luckman (Woody Harrelson) brings home a bicycle and Barris works out, with a pen, that it has fewer gears than advertised is the funniest scene in the film, and a small tragedy, because it lasts as long as it would in life. Rory Cochrane’s Charles Freck opens the film in the shower combing aphids out of his hair, then out of the dog, and we were horrified, and then more horrified when we understood there were no aphids and the drawing had made us see them anyway. That is what the animation is for: the hallucination is as solid as the wall.

Reeves is well cast, which is not always said of him. Arctor is a man whose feelings arrive late and muffled, and the tracing flattens his face further, so the performance lives in the voice, and the voice is quietly good. Winona Ryder’s Donna Hawthorne is the only warmth in the house, a dealer who loves him a little and will not be touched. The trouble is the talk. Linklater’s screenplay keeps Dick’s dialogue nearly whole, which is why the film is funny and why it drifts; the fourth conversation about whether Barris is an informer is no sharper than the first. Sandra Adair lets scenes run to their natural end, and around the hour mark that patience costs the film its grip. Graham Reynolds’s score is a few nervous strings kept low, and it never tells us what to feel.

Then there is the scene in the living room. Fred sits in the suit and watches a recording of Arctor on the sofa, talking, and cannot follow what Arctor is saying, and Reeves does nothing with his face. It moved us more than we expected, and not because of the paranoia. What it shows is ordinary forgetting, a man losing himself at the speed of a household, and the film is at its best when the science fiction falls away and it is simply about that.

The big Dick adaptations each took a premise and built a chase around it: [*Blade Runner*](https://film.one/film/blade-runner) (1982), [*Total Recall*](https://film.one/film/total-recall) (1990), [*Minority Report*](https://film.one/film/minority-report) (2002). This one stays on the sofa. Most critics have landed about where we have, admiring the look and wishing the middle moved. We would add that the slowness is how the sadness gets in, and we did not mind waiting. It runs 100 minutes, carries a 15, and is best watched late, at home, with someone who has been to a house like that one.

*Fi1m score 73, published 24 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics come down in favour of A Scanner Darkly, with reservations. The praise clusters on Linklater’s rotoscoped animation, which nearly every review names as the film’s chief achievement: it brings the scramble suit and the hallucinations to life and exposes the ordinary sadness underneath the paranoia. There is broad agreement that this is an unusually faithful adaptation of Philip K. Dick, and the cast’s handling of the strung-out junkie dialogue draws warm notices, Robert Downey Jr. in particular.

The reservations gather around pace and talk. Several critics find the film slow and dialogue-heavy, and warn that anyone unfamiliar with Dick may struggle. Variety goes furthest, calling it overly faithful and a missed opportunity, and complaining that the animation flattens the actors’ faces. Slant thinks Linklater never quite catches the novel’s comic nightmare. The spread is wide, from that lone negative to a handful of admirers who find it gripping and moving, but the centre of opinion is a qualified yes.

## Straight answers

**Is A Scanner Darkly worth watching?**

*A Scanner Darkly* is worth watching for anyone who can sit through a slow middle hour for a funny, sad film about addiction, and we scored it 73. Robert Downey Jr. carries the long stretches of stoned talk, and the last twenty minutes are the reason it stays with you. It is best watched late, at home.

**How long is A Scanner Darkly, and what is it rated?**

*A Scanner Darkly* runs 1h 40m. It is an animation and science fiction film.

**Where can I watch A Scanner Darkly in South Korea?**

*A Scanner Darkly* is not on any streaming or rental service in South Korea at the moment. It is available in 42 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is A Scanner Darkly, and is it suitable for children?**

*A Scanner Darkly* carries a 15 certificate in the UK and an R in the US, and it is about drug addiction rather than violence. It is not a frightening film in the usual sense, though the animation makes hallucinations look as solid as the walls, and the opening scene of a man combing imaginary insects from his hair and his dog is hard to watch. Not for children.

**How does A Scanner Darkly compare to Naked Lunch?**

*A Scanner Darkly* and [*Naked Lunch*](https://film.one/film/naked-lunch) both take an addict's world literally, Linklater doing Philip K. Dick as Cronenberg does William Burroughs, but they feel quite different. Linklater's film is quieter and stays close to a suburban sofa, while Cronenberg's is grubbier, stranger and more dangerous. Both drift in the middle; we find *A Scanner Darkly* the sadder and *Naked Lunch* the more unsettling.

**Is A Scanner Darkly based on a true story or a book?**

*A Scanner Darkly* is based on Philip K. Dick's 1977 novel of the same name, not on a true story. Linklater's adaptation stays close to the book, keeping much of Dick's dialogue nearly whole, which is why the film is funny and also why it drifts. You do not need to have read the novel to follow it.

**What should I watch after A Scanner Darkly?**

After *A Scanner Darkly*, try [*Naked Lunch*](https://film.one/film/naked-lunch) (1991, Fi1m 78): Cronenberg does Burroughs the way Linklater does Dick: the addict’s world taken literally. Then [*The Conversation*](https://film.one/film/the-conversation) (1974, Fi1m 92): A surveillance man listens to his own tapes until he cannot trust them either; and [*Paprika*](https://film.one/film/paprika) (2006, Fi1m 80): Japanese animation about a device that leaks dreams into rooms; the walls misbehave here too.

### Reviews we read (13)

- **Los Angeles Times**, Carina Chocano (80/100, inferred): Chocano gives the film a clearly positive verdict, calling its central achievement brilliant. She particularly praises how Linklater’s rotoscoping and understated approach make its paranoid world feel connected to reality. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jul-07-et-scannerdarkly7-story.html)
- **Total Film**, Total Film (4/5): The review finds the film darkly comic, unsettling and unusually respectful of Philip K. Dick’s work. It particularly praises the visually astonishing rotoscoping and Robert Downey Jr.’s energetic performance. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/a-scanner-darkly-review/)
- **Slant Magazine**, Jeremiah Kipp (3/4): Kipp finds the film only partly successful, saying Linklater does not fully capture the novel’s comic nightmare. He praises its vivid depiction of addicts and its portrayal of Generation X’s failed intimacy. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/a-scanner-darkly/)
- **Empire**, Kim Newman (70/100, inferred): Newman finds the film intelligent and near-essential, though its dizzying moments create an overall downbeat effect. He praises Linklater’s faithful, skilful adaptation and the cast’s handling of the funny, unsettling junkie dialogue. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/scanner-darkly-review/)
- **The Guardian**, Rob Mackie (70/100, inferred): Mackie finds the film an effective, obscurely funny adaptation, though its strung-out dialogue and limited action may not suit viewers unfamiliar with Dick’s work. He praises Linklater’s animation for bringing the scramble suit vividly to life. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/jan/19/dvdreviews.sciencefictionandfantasy)
- **The Independent**, Robert Hanks (65/100, inferred): Hanks finds the film flawed but absorbing, recommending it for its atmosphere rather than its stars, story, or philosophical ideas. He praises Linklater’s rotoscoped visuals for revealing the ordinary sadness and fear beneath the paranoia. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/a-scanner-darkly-15-412295.html)
- **Screen Daily**, Lee Marshall (64/100, inferred): Marshall frames the film as a sci-fi slacker movie, returning to Linklater’s animation technique from Waking Life. The accessible text ends before his verdict or any specific praise or complaint is clear. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/a-scanner-darkly/4027478.article)
- **The New York Times** (64/100, inferred): The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No praise or complaint from the review could be confirmed. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/arts/13iht-fmreview14.2191651.html)
- **Time Out**, Ben Walters (64/100, inferred): The accessible page identifies this as Walters’s review, but the critic’s verdict is not available in the supplied text. The visible description begins with a character’s claim about hidden processes behind reality, without revealing what Walters praises or faults. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/a-scanner-darkly-1)
- **Radio Times**, Dave Aldridge (3/5): The three-star assessment suggests an interesting adaptation, though not an unequivocal success. It singles out Linklater’s distinctive interpolated-rotoscoping visual approach. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-c5v7oy/a-scanner-darkly/)
- **Variety**, Justin Chang (40/100, inferred): Chang finds the adaptation intriguing but overly faithful and talky, ultimately a missed opportunity rather than a visionary film. He praises the rotoscoped hallucination and scramble suit, while noting that the animation flattens the actors’ faces. [Read](https://variety.com/2006/biz/awards/a-scanner-darkly-1200515941/)
- **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (95/100, inferred): Kermode calls the film brilliant, disorientating, gripping and emotionally powerful, while noting that its slow build and complex storyline may challenge some viewers. She praises the rotoscoped animation, finely judged dialogue and performances for making the damaged characters compelling and deserving of empathy. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/a-scanner-darkly-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)
- **Den of Geek**, Ryan Lambie (4 out of 5): Lambie praises the film as a faithful, moving adaptation and calls Blu-ray its perfect home. He singles out the rotoscoped visuals and the disc’s vivid, sharply defined colors. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/a-scanner-darkly-blu-ray-review/)

## Details

- **Director:** Richard Linklater
- **Director:** Richard Linklater
- **Screenplay:** Richard Linklater
- **Novel:** Philip K. Dick
- **Cinematography:** Shane F. Kelly
- **Editor:** Sandra Adair
- **Music:** Graham Reynolds
- **Production design:** Bruce Curtis
- **Costume design:** Kari Perkins
- **Producer:** Palmer West, Anne Walker-McBay, Jonah Smith
- **Cast:** Keanu Reeves as Bob Arctor; Robert Downey Jr. as James Barris; Woody Harrelson as Ernie Luckman; Winona Ryder as Donna Hawthorne; Rory Cochrane as Charles Freck; Mitch Baker as Brown Bear Lodge Host; Sean Allen as Additional Fred Scramble Suit Voice (voice); Cliff Haby as Voice from Headquarters (voice)
- **Runtime:** 1h 40m
- **First release (France):** 25 May 2006
- **Genres:** Animation, Science Fiction, Thriller
- **Budget:** $9 million
- **Box office:** $8 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1-xKcf9Q4s

## Where to watch in South Korea

Not streaming, renting or buying in South Korea at the last check.

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HU, ID, IE, IN, IT, JP, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, SE, SG, TH, UA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Waking Life* (2001): Linklater’s first go at the tracing, all talk and no plot, and better for it.
- *Naked Lunch* (1991), Fi1m 78: Cronenberg does Burroughs the way Linklater does Dick: the addict’s world taken literally. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/naked-lunch.md)
- *The Conversation* (1974), Fi1m 92: A surveillance man listens to his own tapes until he cannot trust them either. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-conversation.md)
- *Paprika* (2006), Fi1m 80: Japanese animation about a device that leaks dreams into rooms; the walls misbehave here too. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/paprika.md)
- *Drugstore Cowboy* (1989): Van Sant’s addicts are funny, frightened and doomed, with no drawing over the top.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/a-scanner-darkly