A Scanner Darkly 10/25/06

The only thing that saves this movie is that it's never boring. And for that we have two things in general to thank. One: the animation and direction of Richard Linklater that is completely different than anything I have ever seen. It's apparently a technique in which he shoots actual live footage, and then he animates it through something called rotoscoping. This works especially well in a movie about drug addiction because it allows hallucinations to appear on the screen and seem totally within this movie's realm of reality. The second reason is the strong performances of several supporting characters. Most notably Robert Downey Jr. who's eccentric character plays like he knows he's in a cartoon. Through quiet eccentricities he steals every scene he's in. In scenes when his character is shooting the spit with Woody Harrelson the drama is doubled and usually quite funny. I would love to watch a movie about this character. Unfortunately the movie isn't about him, or even needs his character. 
The real story in this movie is about a narc/drug addict named Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves). This story also is somewhat exciting. I say somewhat because in truth I don't really know. I feel it could have been exciting if the movie hadn't ended after the second act. Here we have Bob Arctor brought into rehabilitation on a mission he knows nothing about. He's supposed to prove that the rehab programmers are the ones who are dealing the drugs. He finds the drugs in a middle of a cornfield, he still under the influence partly and he doesn't have much cognitive power but we sense that he knows what they are. He puts a flower in his sock with the intention of bringing it back to his friends at the main compound. Then the movie ends. I don't have a problem with what's in the movie, I have a problem with what could have been in the movie. I have a feeling that there could have been a kickass third act to this movie, where Arctor meets Barrister (Downey Jr.) in the prison, they hatch a plan to elaborately escape. There's an animated chase scene or fight scene (Something I bet would be totally awesome) and then you know the great twist or enlightening conclusion or whatever. That's what I would have done.
Of course can I give a movie a bad grade because I liked it so much I wished it were longer. I honestly don't think that would be kosher. So there the paradox. They gave me only the first two acts of a what would have been a great three act story.