7) A Scanner Darkly
Based on a novel by legendary science fiction author Philip K. Dick, director Richard Linklater (“Boyhood” and “Dazed and Confused”) faithfully swung for the fences with cutting edge animation with this disturbing story; knocking it way out of the park.
It features an undercover cop (Reeves) who becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and slowly loses his own identity as a result of it. One of the truly extraordinary animated parts is how they show Bob Arctor (Reeves) as an undercover cop. It’s kind of like a hologram that constantly switches appearances seamlessly, but we can also see Reeves’ face while it does. It’s simply mind-blowing.
The fact is nobody really plays a cop better than Reeves because despite how most actors play cops with consistency, Reeves takes a different approach with every one he’s played, albeit some of those differences are subtle. His performance in “A Scanner Darkly” is far removed though.