An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result.
Direction
Linklater's rotoscope turns banal conversations into existential horror.
Acting
Downey Jr. delivers motormouth brilliance before Iron Man existed.
Writing
Dick's dialogue preserved like a bug in paranoid amber.
Director
Richard Linklater
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Philip K. Dick's 1977 novel was autobiographical—he lived in the same house as the characters and nearly died from amphetamine psychosis while writing.
The 'scramble suit' technology actually exists in rudimentary form now; the film predicted deepfake paranoia by 15 years.
US
