A Scanner Darkly

A SCANNER DARKLY — ** 1/2 — Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr.; rated R (drugs, profanity, violence, nudity, sex, vulgarity, brief gore, ethnic slurs).

"A Scanner Darkly" is faithful to a fault.

The film's source material — author Philip K. Dick's cult-adored novel — is so mind-bendingly bizarre that it's been considered unadaptable for years. But that didn't stop filmmaker Richard Linklater ("Dazed and Confused," "The School of Rock") from trying.

His version of the tale is an animation/live-action hybrid that employs "rotoscoping," a process in which filmed live-action sequences are painted over. And it's certainly dazzling to look at.

And while those who have read the book will find much to like here, those that haven't will find this science-fiction thriller to be talky and muddled, and possibly impenetrable.

"A Scanner Darkly" is told from the perspective of an undercover narcotics officer known only as "Fred" (Keanu Reeves). Fred and his fellow officers use "scramble suits" that allow them to blend in anywhere and appear to be anyone or anything, technology that will come in handy when he infiltrates criminals who are supplying Substance D, a destructive and horribly addictive new form of recreational drug.

Fred's leads take him to a house full of Substance D users, including former family man Robert Arctor. As it turns out, Arctor may be Fred's "civilian" identity, and he may be leading a dual, conflicting existence.

The animation — which comes courtesy of the same team that helped produce Linklater's 2001 film "Waking Life" — does allow him to do things that would have been impossible with standard live-action or CGI . . . at least with Linklater's usual budget. But his storytelling is sketchy and does leave something to be desired.

Those unfamiliar with the book will probably be confused. And the film's statements about addiction and the drug wars aren't exactly subtle.

On the other hand, this is the sort of thing where Reeves' low-key stoner persona actually works. And Robert Downey Jr. is amusing as a twitchy, paranoid informant who may be hindering Fred's case more than he's helping.

"A Scanner Darkly" is rated R for strong drug content (including use of various hallucinogens and narcotics), frequent use of strong sexual profanity and other sexually suggestive language (slang), violence (mostly shootings), female nudity, simulated sex and other sexual contact, brief gore, and use of ethnic slurs. Running time: 100 minutes.

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E-mail: jeff@desnews.com