A Scanner Darkly

If the aim in a narrative film is to tell a story, very few fail as comprehensively as Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly.

There's a lot to say about the film, much of it positive, but overall, I'm left with the immediate impression that Linklater has made a series of very serious mistakes. One of the greatest novels of all time has become, cinematically, a genuine folly.

I'm mourning the once mooted Terry Gilliam/Richard LaGravanese take on Scanner particularly darkly this morning.