FILMBRATS - REVIEWS

Bob Arctor is an undercover agent working for the police. He’s so undercover that not even his own co-workers know his real identity. That’s because he, along with everyone else on the force, wears a suit called a “scramble suit” that constantly morphs his appearance and distorts his voice. No one can recognize him as anything other than a part of the unit. His main purpose is to eradicate the production and distribution of the highly psychotropic, addictive, and destructive drug Substance D one dealer at a time. To accomplish this, he must infiltrate a group of people from the inside and gather information that will bring them down. The only problem is that he’s in danger of being brought down himself, if the police discovers he’s already an addict.

Director Richard Linklater wrote the script based on Philip K. Dick’s short story. Normally, Dick’s stories have translated into very good movies. I wouldn’t say this is an exception, but it doesn’t quite live up to the same standards as “Blade Runner” or “Total Recall.” It’s more on par with “Minority Report” in that the concept is there, and it’ll keep you entertained, but it hardly blows you away. Personally, I think this is slightly better than the largely forgettable “Minority Report,” and makes for a solid science fiction story. Keep in mind I haven’t read the original story, but perhaps the problem is that the concept behind this one isn’t all that great. It’s not really treading too much new ground and the storyline becomes extremely predictable. Probably the coolest element is those scramble suits, and that’s a shame.

I can merely assume that those suits are the only reason behind this film being animated. Linklater uses the same rotoscoping technique made famous in his earlier film “Waking Life.” Now the style has been enhanced and looks a lot crisper. At times the scenes look extremely realistic, which I think defeats the purpose. I would have loved to see the animation put to good use. In a movie about drugs, there are very few hallucinogenic sequences. Having a blank canvas to work with, anything and everything could have been possible. The world could have been, and should have been toyed with. Instead we get a couple of isolated sequences where we see bugs crawling around everywhere. “Waking Life” did a much better job of projecting the surreal. The performances, however, come out crystal clear through the somewhat impressionist frames.

The acting really saves the movie from being sub-standard, although I wonder how much of a stretch it is for these people. Forming the group of drug-addled delinquents is Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Woody Harrelson and Robert Downey Jr. They all do good enough jobs, but it really feels like they’re essentially playing themselves, or at least characters that they are very familiar with. The real rough spot in the acting comes from Rory Cochrane (“Dazed and Confused”). For whatever reason, he can’t make the paranoia and craziness believable.

The worst part about this passable movie is that it doesn’t really make you think too much after the ending. You sort of get an idea of where the not-so-open-ended ending is heading, and there’s simply no resonance. Also, I can’t help but think the movie should probably be live action, and force the filmmakers to find a good way to CGI the suits. I wouldn’t say that if the animation did more to enhance the warped and drug induced mindset of virtually all the characters. It’s still a good story with interesting characters that will certainly hold your attention, but I expected more from a Philip K. Dick adaptation.

respond to jon@filmbrats.com