OK, so I have been on a revisitation bonanza of late and I figured I have room for just one more (then I promise I will try and do a new post with NEW content for a change!). So, the post in question I will revisit is my first revisit(!) of Blade Runner. And given that the long awaited Blade Runner sequel is about to be released this Friday, Blade Runner: 2049, I figured I would use this as an excuse to look at this 1982 sci-fi classic again.
So, with that being said, let's take another look.....
And yep the usual warning is coming up.....
SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!
STORY
Well the story is set in Los Angeles 2019, where the future is bleak, dark, and above all wet, the skies are also filled with futuristic flying cars, and massive digital billboards. And one of the inhabitants of this bleak LA is Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former cop, who was nicknamed as a "blade runner", a term for a police officer who tracked down bioengineered beings known as replicants.
Deckard is detained by an officer, Gaff (Edward James Olmos) who takes him to see his former supervisor, Bryant (M. Emmett Walsh) who tells him that six rouge replicants have escaped and made their way to Earth two of them were killed, but four remain, and he wants Deckard to track them down and "retire" them (the term used for killing replicants). Deckard reluctantly accepts and goes to the Tyrell corporation where he meets with Dr Eldon Tyrell, who formed the company, and was the creator of the replicants.
Deckard is asked to try out the voight kampff test, which is used to determine whether someone is a replicant or a human, on Tyrell's assistant, Rachael (Sean Young). After many questions Deckard finds out that Rachael is in fact a replicant, a Nexus-6 model (just like the others) who is unaware of being a replicant herself, as she has been implanted with fake memories from Tyrell's niece. Deckard and Gaff then after search, one of the replicants Leon's (Brion James) apartment, where they find a photo and what appears to be a piece of snake scale.
Meanwhile, Leon and the leader of the group of replicants, Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) pay a visit to a local eye manufacturing laboratory where they question the owner, Chew (James Hong) as to how they can go about expanding their lifespan (which is four years). Chew admits he knows nothing about this, but an engineer called J.F. Sebastian (William Sanderson) may be able to help them. Roy then sends one of the replicants, Pris (Daryl Hannah) to meet Sebastian and gain his confidence.
Meanwhile Deckard is visited by Rachael, who emotionally tries to prove to him that she isnt a replicant by showing her a picture of her family, but Deckard coldly tells that her memories are just implants, and she leaves, upset. Deckard that takes the photo he found from Leon's apartment and scans it for more detail and finds in the photo a women with a tatoo on her neck.
Deckard soon tracks down the whereabouts of the woman, who soon turns out to be the other replicant of the group, Zhora (Joanna Cassidy), who works at a strip club, using a snake as part of her act. Zhora quickly catches onto who he is and flees, with Deckard chasing her onto the busy streets, he guns her down in public. On witnessing this, Leon soon after attacks Deckard, who is about to kill him, but he is saved by Rachael who shoots Leon in the head. Back at Deckard's apartment, Rachael sobs and finally accepts that she "is the business" meaning that she realises she is a replicant. Deckard then seduces her.
In the meantime, Roy meets up with Pris and Sebastian, and Roy calmly asks that Sebastian takes him to meet with Tyrell, and if he doesn't then Pris won't have long to live. Sebastian eventually agrees to take Roy to meet with Tyrell in the hope that he can find a way to extend his and Pris's lifespans, but on their meeting, Tyrell unfortunately can give no solutions or answers to Roy's demand "I want more life, fucker!" (or "father!" depending on which version you watch!) as he tells him "we made you as well as we could make you". Roy seems to accept this, then gives Tyrell a kiss but he kills Tyrell by crushing his skull, Sebastian looks on in horror and flees for the lift and we then cut to seeing Roy take the lift back down again, alone.
Later on Deckard get's news from Bryant that they have found Sebastian's body and that he checks out his apartment, where Deckard finally meets with Pris and Roy for the final confrontation....
THOUGHTS
There is no doubt that Blade Runner is a towering achievement in science fiction films, and it stands as one of the all time greats in its genre. Originally based on the sci-fi writer, Philip K Dick's novel, Do androids dream of electric sheep? Ridley Scott took the novel and created it into a visually stunning bleak world, with which what has been called one of the more accurate pictures of the future (well apart from the incessant rain maybe and those flying cars!). Philip K Dick at the time was also astounded by the film as he said he could not believe how accurately the film's vision was to how he saw it visualised in his mind.
The film was also quite innovative and introduced some ideas in technology that have actually come to life since such as the scene where Deckard scans the photo and zooms in to find the image of Pris and now we have touchscreen technology where you can do just that and zoom in on a specific part of an image, even though in Blade Runner its a bit more intricate. The only thing is we still don't have flying cars, which is something even Back To The Future Part II thought we'd have by 2015 never mind 2019!
PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section may contain spoilers!)
Performance wise things are top notch here with the cast all giving strong performances.
Harrison Ford delivers arguably the best performance of his career as Deckard, the cool, laid back blade runner, who walked away from his life as a cop, before being pulled back in by his supervisor Bryant.
Ford has numerous highlights in the film such as the scene where he enters Bryant's office at the start and he listens to what Bryant says and then get's up and says "I was quit when I come in here, Bryant and I'm twice as quit now!". And as Deckard is about to walk out, Bryant stops him and warns "Stop right where you are! You know the score, pal?! If you're not a cop, you're little people!". So, Deckard turns back and smiles at Bryant and says "No choice, huh?" and Bryant manages a forced smiles and says "No choice, pal!".
Then there is the scene where Rachel comes to Deckard's apartment where she tries to reason and prove she isn't a replicant and Deckard coldly says to her "Remember when you were six? You and your brother snuck into an empty building through a basement window. You were going to play Doctor. He showed his and when it came to your turn you chickened and ran? You remember that? You every tell anybody that? Your mother? Tyrell? Anybody?" and he goes to say "Implants, those aren't your memories, they're someone elses! They're Tyrell's niece's". This having left Rachel deeply upset he changes tack and says "OK I'm sorry, bad joke, you're not a replicant, go home. No really I'm sorry, go home" and he asks her if she wants a drink and she soon walks out.
Another good scene from Harrison is when Deckard tracks down Zhora to the club where she dances and follows her into her room and puts on a funny voice and says "I'm from the committee of moral abuses" and proceeds to ad-lib the rest and he asks her "Were you ever asked to do anything lewd or unsavoury to get this job or anything that would be... repulsive to your person??". Then Deckard asks Zhora "Do you mind if I check your room for holes? You'd be surprised what someone would do to see a beautiful body!".
And there is also the scene where Deckard is accosted by Leon who beats him up who says to him "Nothing is worse than having an itch you can never scratch!" and Deckard gasps "Oh, I agree!" and is later saved by Rachel.
And this leads into the next scene where Deckard cleans himself up with Rachel in his apartment, she asks him "What would happen if I were to disappear? Would you come after me?" and Deckard says "No. No I wouldn't. I owe you one.... but somebody would" and in that moment we see a glow in Deckard's eye just like we have seen from the replicants, which is almost a throwaway suggestion that he too could be one himself.
And last of all is the film's suspenseful finale where Deckard tracks down Batty and Pris and he has his last confrontation with them both and prior to Deckard going into the building he has a good line when he calls Sebastian's number and Pris answers and Deckard says "Hey this is Freddy and old friend of JF's" but Pris hangs up leaving Deckard bemused "That's no way to treat a friend!".
Rutger Hauer is also superb as Roy Batty, the leader of the replicants, and rather than play him as a blatant villain, he takes a very different take on Roy, as a somewhat sensitive, intellectual being, who desperately seeks to extend his short life span.
Hauer has plenty of great moments in the film especially his introduction where Roy and Leon pay a visit the eye specialist, Chew. And in the scene, Roy cooly asks "Questions...morphology? Longevity? Incept dates?" and Chew says "I don't know such stuff! You Nexus six? I design your eyes" and Batty says "Chew, if only you could see what I've seen with your eyes!". Then Roy firmly says to Chew "Now, questions!" and Chew nervously says "I don't know answers" and Roy asks "Who does?" and Chew says "Tyrell. He knows everything. Big boss. He designed your mind". Roy then sits down and says "Not an easy man to see.." and Tyrell shivers and says "Sebastian...J.F. Sebastian...he take you there". And Roy leans forward and asks Chew "And where can we find this...J.F. Sebastian?".
Then there is the scene Batty turns up at Sebastian's apartment unawares as Pris says "Hi Roy!" Batty looks around and says "Gee! You've got some really nice toys here!". And in the next scene where Sebastian asks Batty to show him something to prove their genetic superiority and Batty says "We're not computers, Sebastian, we're physical!" and then he grabs Sebastian saying "If we don't find help, Pris here hasn't got long to live! We can't have that".
And undoubteldy one of the best scenes in the film comes when Batty finally meets Tyrell and Tyrell says "I'm surprised you didn't come here sooner" and Batty says "Its no an easy thing to meet your maker". And Tyrell asks "And what can he do for you?" and Batty asks "Can the maker repair what he makes" and Batty then moves forward saying "I want more life...fucker!" (or "father" in the Final cut but I prefer the "fucker" version!). And as Tyrell cannot give him the answer he wants, Tyrell says "you are the prodigal son, you are quite a prize" and Batty turns and smiles saying "nothing the God of biomechanics wouldn't let you into heaven for" before killing Tyrell by crushing his skill.
And last of all is Batty's confrontation with Deckard as he chases him about the Bradbury building, Batty's voice echoes through the walls and he taunts Deckard "Come on, Deckard, show me what you are made of!". Next thing we see is Batty's hands burst through the wall and he grabs Deckard's gun hand and says to him "Proud of yourself, little man??" as he prepares to break Deckards fingers. Then Batty says "This is for Zhora!" and breaks one finger "And this is for this Pris!" and then breaks another. Roy then places Deckard's gun in his hand with the broken fingers and let's go of Deckard's hand and Roy tells him "Come on, Deckard. I'm right here, but you've got to shoot straight!". So, Deckard takes aim as best he can with his broken fingered hand and fires a shot at Roy, who moves out the way and says "Straight doesn't seem to be good enough!!" but we then see the bullet did graze Roy's left ear.
Then after, Roy briefly mourns Pris's death, he strips down to his shorts and runs after Deckard, howling dementedly. And Roy eventually catches up to Deckard as Roy smashes his head through a wall, with Deckard standing the other side. Roy says to Deckard "You better get it up. Or I'm gonna have to kill you. Unless you're alive, you can't play! And if you don't play... " and Roy pulls his head out of the hole in the wall. Deckard then grabs a piece of piping as Roy enters the room and taunts Deckard saying "Six, seven Go to hell or go to heaven!!" and Deckard hits Roy in the chest with the pipe twice and Roy grabs the pipe and shouts "GOOD THAT'S THE SPIRIT!!". Deckard then decides to do a runner and he kicks out the window and starts climbing up the side of the building and Roy soon follows him.
And later as Deckard runs away from the Batty over the rooftops he makes a jump for another rooftop by missing and clings onto the ledge for dear life. And Batty comfortably makes the jump and stands over Deckard who is rapidly loosinh his grip and Batty calmly says "Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave!" and as Deckard is about to loose his grip, he spits defiantly at Batty who chooses in that second to save his life and he pulls him up and drops him on the rooftop. And in his last moments Batty delivers his poignant speech "I've...seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhuser Gate. All those..moments will be lost...in time...like...tears...in rain. Time to die".
The supporting cast are also excellent, with Sean Young who gives a fine performance as the replicant Rachael, who slowly comes to terms with who she is throughout the film.
Young has some good scenes as well such as her first scene where Rachel introduces herself to Deckard and we see a beautiful owl on a perch nearby. And Rachael asks Deckard "Do you like our owl?" and Deckard asks "Its artificial?" and Rachael says "Of course it is" and Deckard says "It must be expensive". And Rachael walks into shot and says to Deckard "Very. I'm Rachael" and Deckard says his name and Rachael says to him "It seems you feel our work is not a benefit to the public". Deckard then says "Replicants are either a benefit or a hazard. If they're a benefit, its not my problem". Rachael then asks Deckard "May I ask you a personal question?" and Deckard says "Sure" and Rachael asks him "Have you ever retired a human by mistake?" and Deckard says "No" and Rachael says "But in your position, that is a risk".
Then as Tyrell arrives and asks that Deckard test Rachael using the Voight Kampf test to see if she is a replicant. And in one of the questions asked by Deckard refers to the scenario of her husband opening a full page nude photo and Rachel says "Is this testing whether I'm a replicant or a lesbian, Mr Deckard??" and Deckard firmly says to her "Just answer the questions please!". And Deckard continues "Your husband likes it so much, he wants to hang it on the bedroom wall" and Rachael replies "I wouldn't let him" and Deckard asks her "Why not?" and she says "I should be enough for him".
And later on when Rachel goes to Deckard's apartment and she tries to convince Deckard that she isn't a replicant and Deckard asks her if she remembers about the spider that used to live inside her bedroom window which spun a web all summer and one day there is a big egg in it and "the egg hatched and a hundred baby spiders came out....and they ate her".
And later there is the scene whereafter Rachel saves Deckard's life by shooting Leon and after they go back to Deckard's apartment and she sobs and Deckard says "Shakes? I get em too. Part of the business" and Rachel says "I'm not in the business. I am the business!". And Rachael then asks Deckard as he takes off his shirt and rinses his head and washes the blood out of his mouth, "What if I went up North? Disappeared? Would you come after me? Hunt me?". Deckard then says to her, "No. No, I wouldn't. I owe you one." but then he says "But somebody would have" and he goes to lie down with a drink in his hand. And Rachael asks Deckard "That Voight Kampf test....did you ever take that test yourself? Deckard?" but she sees he has fallen asleep.
Daryl Hannah, who it has to be said is actually something of an underrated actor, also gives an excellent performance as Pris, who she plays initially as being rather niave and childish but also happens to quite lethal as well.
Daryl also has some good moments such as the her first scene where Pris arrives outside Sebastian's apartment building and she feigns being scared and Sebastian invites her in. And in the scene, Pris breaks the tension of their meeting as she says to him "We sure scared each other good, didn't we?!" and she laughs nervously. Pris then looks at Sebastian and says to him "I'm hungry, J.F. Sebastian" and Sebastian then invites her up to his apartment, and she suddenly goes from looking unsure of herself to suddenly being so as she walks in.
Then there is the scene prior to that when Batty arrives he tearfully tells her "There are only two of us now!" and Pris says "Then we're stupid and we'll die" and Batty smiles and says "No we won't". This is the followed by the scene where Sebastian asks that they show him their special abilities as replicants, and Roy replies "We're not computers, Sebastian. We're physical!". And Pris goes up to Sebastian and says "I think, Sebastian, therefore I am!" and Roy says "Very good, Pris, now show him why!". Pris does a backward flip and then puts her hand into a boiling tank containing some eggs and she lifts one out without sign of pain and throws it at Sebastian, who catches it and quickly drops it as its too hot for him to handle.
And Pris and Roy corner Sebastian as they ask him for his help to meet with Tyrell and Pris says to Sebastian "We need you, Sebastian. Your our best and only friend!". Roy then jokes with Sebastian as he holds up a pair of fake eyeballs and says to him "We are so happy you found us!". Pris then says to Sebastian "I don't think there's another human being...in the whole world who would've helped us" and she kisses him on the cheek. Sebastian however says nothing and walks off to think things over as Pris and Roy share a look with each other, which is a great moment in Hannah's performance, where she doesn't need to say anything.
And there is of course Daryl's last scene where Deckard arrives at Sebastian's apartment and she has her face done up like a clown and she pretends to be one of Sebastian's dolls and as Deckard slowly pulls a cover off her, she suddenly springs into life and nearly chokes the life out of him before Deckard puts her down for good.
Joe Turkell is also great as Dr Tyrell, and Ridley Scott cast him after he saw Turkell play the bartender in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, and his scene with Roy is one of the film's highlights. Turkell has some fine moments in the film although he really only appears in two scenes and his first is where Tyrell meets with Deckard.
And in the scene, Tyrell walks up to Deckard, who has already met Rachael at this pont and Tyrell says to him "Is this to be an empathy test? Capillary dilation of the so-called blush response? Fluctuation of the pupil. Involuntary dilation of the iris". Deckard says to him "We call it Voight Kampff for short" and Tyrell says to Deckard "Demonstrate it. I want to see it work". Deckard then asks "Where's the subject?" and Tyrell tells him "I want to see it work on a person. I want to see a negative before I provide you with a positive". Deckard asks him "On you?" and Tyrell points to Rachael and says "Try her".
Then there is Turkell's second scene where Tyrell meets with Roy, who wants a solution for his and Pris's short lifespans. So, Tyrell says to Roy "I'm surprised you didn't come here sooner" and Roy says to him "Its not an easy thing to meet your maker" and Tyrell asks "And what can he do for you?". Roy then asks "Can the maker repair what he makes" and Tyrell asks "Would you like to be modified?" and Roy says "I had in mind something a bit more radical". The two of them then discuss how Roy's lifespan cannot be extended due to a number of complications in the replication process.
However, Tyrell then tries to reassure Roy "You were made as well as we could make you" and Batty says "But not to last" and Tyrell continues "The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long - and you have burned so very, very brightly, Roy. You're the prodigal son. You're quite a prize". And Batty looks down gultily and says "I've done.... questionable things" and Tyrell reassures him "Also extraordinary things. Revel in your time!". And shortly after that Roy puts his hands to Tyrell's face, kisses him and then kills him by crushing his skull.
Edward James Olmos also deserves credit for his brief perfomance as the police officer, Gaff, as he put tremendous thought into how he played the part, and he even came up with his own language for the part, as he took a mish mash of Esperanto and other languages to form the"cityspeak" he uses in the film. His best moment comes at the end where Gaff says to Deckard up on the rooftops, "You've done a man's job, sir! You through?" and Deckard says "Finished!". Then Gaff throws Deckard his gun back toward him and before he goes he says of Rachael "Its too bad she won't live, but then again who does?!".
Emmett M. Walsh also does really well with his smaller role as the police Captain Bryant, and he get's some of the film's best lines, especially when he first meets Deckard and says "Come on, Deckard don't be an asshole, I've got four skin jobs walking the streets!". And as Bryant appraises Deckard of the replicant crisis he tells him "I need you, Deck. Now, this is a bad one, the worst yet. I need the old Blade Runner. I need your magic!". And as Deckard tries to walk out and says "I'm quit when I walked in here, Bryant. I'm twice as quit now!" and Bryant warns him "Stop right where you are! You know the score, pal?! If you're not cop, you're little people!".
And lastly there is the scene where just after Deckard has killed Zhora, Bryant and Gaff meets with him and says "Christ, Deckard, you look almost as bad as that skin-job you left on the sidewalk!". Deckard then says "I'm goin home!" and Bryant says "Could learn from this guy, Gaff. He's a goddamn one-man slaughterhouse, that's what he is. Four more to go. - come on, Gaff, let's go!". However, Deckard stops Bryant and says "Three! There's three to go!" but Bryant insists "There's four. That skin-job you vK'd at the Tyrell Corporation...Rachael, disappeared, vanished. Didn't even know she was a Replicant. Something to do with a brain implant, says Tyrell. Come on, Gaff. Drink some for me, huh, pal?!" and Bryant and Gaff leave.
Brion James as Leon is also excellent, the less brighter of the replicants, and his opening scene with the blade runner Holden, who runs the Voight Kampff test on Leon is a great scene. And in the scene, Leon keeps asking Holden basic questions about the scenario questions Holden is asking him. As an example, Holden says "You look down and see a tortoise crawling towards you..." and Leon asks "What's that?" and Holden says "You know what a turtle is?" and Leon says "Of course" and Holden tells him "Same thing". And before Holden can continue, Leon interrupts and says "I've never seen a turtle" and Holden starts to look annoyed and Leon says "But I understand what you mean".
Holden then continues with the scenario and says "You reach down, you flip the tortoise over on its back...." and Leon asks, becoming more agitated "Do you make up these questions, Mr Holden? Or do they write them down for you?". Holden ignores Leon's question and continues "The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the sun...beating its legs, trying to turn itself over, but it can't...not without your help. But you're not helping". Leon then suddenly becomes defensive and angrily says "What do you mean, I'm not helping?!" and Holden calmly says "I mean you're not helping. Why is that Leon?". Holden then smiles and tells Leon to relax as they are just questions and then says "Shall we continue" and Leon nods anxiously. So, Holden says "Describe in single words only the good things that come into your mind...about your mother". Leon then leans forward, with his hands now underneath the table "My mother? Let me tell you about my mother" and he suddenly produces a gun and shoots Holden underneath the table and sends his chair flying through a wall and Leon shoots Holden again.
And last there is the sccene where Leon, witnesses Deckard kill Zhora, so he then follows Deckard and beats him up. So, Leon asks Deckard "My birthday is April 10, 2017. How long do I live?" and Deckard replies "Four years" and Leon says "More than you!". Leon then says to Deckard "Painful to live in fear, isn't it?!" and he throws Deckard onto a car and and says "Nothing worse than having an itch you can never scratch!" and Deckard with his face all bloody, says "Oh, I agree!". And as Leon is about to kill Deckard he says "Wake up! Time to die!" before being shot in the head by Rachael.
Joanna Cassidy as Zhora, who probably has the smallest role of the four replicants, does very well in her part as the sexy replicant of the bunch who get's herself a job as an exotic dancer (and a fine body she has too!).
And Joanna has a good scene with Harrison where Deckard pretends to be some sleazy agent while he questions her in her dressing room and he says to her "You mind if I check your room for holes? You'd be surprised what people would do to get a glimpse at a beautiful body!" and Zhora says "No I wouldn't!". And Deckard asks her if the snake she has for her act is real and Zhora says "Of course its not real! You think I'd be working in a place like this if I could afford a real snake?!".
And after Zhora gets her boots on, she walks over to Deckard (still topless! Zhora that is!) and asks Deckard "So if someone does try to exploit me, who do I got to them about it?" and Deckard smiles saying "Me!". Zhora smiles and says "You're a dedicated man. Dry me!" and she hands Deckard her towel, but then she suddenly spins around and punches him and tries to throttle him with his tie but as other dancers suddenly enter the room, Zhora fless, which leads into their chase scene that ends badly for Zhora.
And last of all (and I seemed to forget to add this actor in my previous write of this review!) is...
William Sanderson, who is very good as J.F. Sebastian, the lonely engineer, who works for the Tyrell corporation and suffers from an aging syndrome that effects his skin.
And Sanderson has a couple of scenes I will mention starting with his first one where Pris tracks down Sebastian outside his apartment building and she pretends to be startled and he proceeds to invite her up. So, as they head up in an old elevator, Pris asks Sebastian "Do you live in this building all by yourself?" and Sebastian says "Yeah, I live here pretty much alone right now. No housing shortage around here. Plenty of room for everybody". And Pris says "It must get lonely, J.F." and Sebastian tells her "Not really. I make friends. They're toys. My friends are toys. I make them. It's a hobby. I'm a genetic designer".
Then there is the scene where, Roy decides to pay a visit on Sebastian as he drops in announced. However before he does in the scene, Pris applies make up to her face using black eyeliner to spray over her eyes, and as Sebastian doses off in the chair he suddenly jolts up as he sees Pris move close to one of his toys and he asks Pris "What are you doing?" and Pris says "Sorry, just peeking". So, Pris asks Sebastian "How do I look?" and Sebastian says "You look better" and Pris says "Just better?" and Sebastian bashfully says "Well...you look beautiful".
Pris then asks Sebastian about his aging condition "How old are you?" and Sebastian says "25" and Pris asks "What's your problem?" and Sebastian says "Methuselah syndrome" and Pris asks "What's that?" and Sebastian tells her "My glands. They grow old too fast". And Pris asks "Is that why you're still on Earth?" and Sebastian tells her "Yeah, that's why I couldn't pass the medical. Anyway...I kinda like it here" and Pris tells him "I like you...just the way you are". However, Pris then looks up and calls out "Hi, Roy!" and Sebastian turns around in his seat to see Roy standing at the door.
And lastly there is the scene where Roy and Pris ask Sebastian for his help so that they can see Tyrell to try and find a solution for their short lifespans. And in the scene Roy notices Sebastian stare at him and Pris and Roy asks him "Why are you staring at us, Sebastian?" and Sebastian says "Because...you're so different. You're so perfect". Sebastian then asks Roy what generation they are and Roy tells him "Nexus 6" and Sebastian smiles and says "I knew it. Because I do genetic design work for the Tyrell Corporation. There's some of me in you". And after Sebastian asks Roy to demonstrate his abilities, Roy get's Pris to display her ability to withstand pain by putting her hand in a tank full of boiling eggs and she throws one to Sebastian, who catches it and throws it on the floor as it is too hot.
Roy then tells Sebastian "We've got a lot in common" and Sebastian asks "What do you mean?" and Pris, who is getting some food from Sebastian's fridge says "Accelerated decrepitude!". Sebastian then says to Roy "I don't know much about bio-mechanics, Roy. I wish I did" and Roy suddenly grabs hold of Sebastian and tells him urgently "If we don't find help soon, Pris won't have long to live! We can't allow that". And Roy let's him go and looks back at Sebastian's chess board and asks "Is he good? Your opponent?" and Sebastian tells him "Dr Tyrell? I've only beaten him once in chess. He's a genius". Roy then suggests "Maybe he could help" and Sebastian says "I'd be happy to mention it to him" but Roy get's up and stands close to Sebastian says "Better if I talk to him in person". Roy then says "I understand he's a hard man to get to" and he moves Roy toward Pris, who sits on a table behind him and she wraps her legs around Sebastian in a suggestive manner and Sebastian nervously says "Yes, very". And as the two of them plead for Sebastian's help, Sebastian take a moment and then releases himself from Pris and walks off to think things over as Roy and Pris share a look.
DIRECTOR, EFFECTS, PHOTOGRAPHY AND MUSIC
Moving onto the director, Ridley Scott it goes without saying has done a superb job here as he paces the film's action and story really well throughout there is hardly a minute in the film that lags (although some people may beg to differ on this!). Although Ridley would go on to make several various cuts of the film, its hard to make out, which one he was fully satisfied with!
Visually the film also looks stunning, with Douglas Trumbull's amazing special effects as we see the flying cars in the skies, and the set design is simply superb, and the model work of the Tyrell corporation building is terrific. Jordan Cronenweth's superb cinemaphotography also adds immeasurably to the tone and feel of the film, with its dark tones and beautiful shadows.
And of course finally there is Vangelis's terrific film score, which is very ambient and atmospheric throughout. And there are many tracks that stand out particularly the film's opening track in the titles and where we see the Tyrell corporation and later also when in the final confrontation between Deckard and Batty not to mention Vangelis's noir-esque themes for Rachael and Pris.
FLAWS (Warning: this section may contain spoilers!)
As for any flaws???? Yeah OK, Blade Runner still has its problems.
However some of the problems stem from the different versions of it over the years and the original theatrical edition naturally came under fire for its narration by Harrison Ford, which was later removed from the director's cut edition, which is largely regarded as the best version of the film. The narration however does offer some amusing lines, such as when Deckard narrates and refers to Bryant's straight talking ways by saying "Skin jobs" that's what Bryant called replicants. In history books he would be the kind of cop who used to call black men "niggers". To be fair, the narration does give the viewer a bit of a clearer insight into what's going, although perhaps it spells out things just a bit too much.
However the narration does also feature some stupud lines such as when Deckard reflects on his days as a blade runner "I'd quit because I had a belly full of killing". Also there is the naff original ending of Deckard and Rachel literally driving off into the sunset as Deckard narrates "Tyrell told me Rachael was special: no termination date. I don't know how long we'd have together. Who does??". Yep just as well they cut it!
As for "the final cut" is also guilty of introducing some pointless inclusions such as a lengthier segment of the unicorn scene while Deckard is in a daze at the piano which doesn't really add anything. And then there is the stupid CGI moment where we see a couple of cyber-goth dancers out on the streets, which adds nothing to a film that needed no further tinkering as it was!
Then there is the whole things about the obssession surrounding whether or not Deckard is in fact a replicant. You could argue more for the case against that he is a replicant than for, regardless of Scott's inclusion of the unicorn scene and also the scene where we see Deckard's eye glow in one scene like the replicants eyes do when he tells Rachael that he wouldn't hunt her if she vanished but someone would. But in the end if Deckard was a replicant, why would they use him to kill the other replicants in the first place???
It also shows the Tyrell corporation were pretty corrupt in that if Deckard is indeed a replicant then they chose deliberately to make replicant models that had a limited lifespan and models such as Rachael and in this case Deckard who didn't either. And perhaps Deckard's insight as a replicant helped them track down the replicants more efficiently and it actually reminds me of the scene where Deckard asks Tyrell of Rachael been unaware of being a replicant "How can it not know what it is?" and in this case he might not suspect this himself if he is indeed a replicant.
And this could also be suggested in the scene where Deckard walks back into Bryant's office near the start of the film and Bryant says "I need the old blade runner, I need your magic" that Deckard's unique skills in tracking down replicants probably comes down to the fact that he is one himself (in fact I appear to be building a case for it here!). But regardless of all that, who knows? In short Ridley Scott thought Deckard was a replicant and Harrison Ford thought Deckard wasn't. But again you could drive yourself round the bend trying to reasoning that one!
There are also one or two issues regarding some coincidental moments in the film, such as the moment where Deckard shoots Zhora dead and as she crashes through a series of shop windows and eventually collapses, we notice that Leon is standing nearby watching! I mean is that a bizzare coincidence or what that he would happen to be standing there at that very moment in time! The same could also be said for Rachael, who all of a sudden turns up not long after she turns Deckard down for a drink and she then goes to save his life when Leon tries to kill him.
Another daft thing is to do with the idea that Roy doesn't know anything about his creator, Tyrell, when he goes to ask Chew about incept dates etc. Roy was created by the Tyrell corporation, so wouldn't he have an awareness of that corporation himself aswell as the others???? Yet in the end, Roy needs to confirm this information with Chew before he can track down Tyrell as it is, it seems a bit strange. Not unless of course, Roy and the other replicants were conditioned to have that information kept secret from them, so maybe they had to find it out themselves.
Then there is the character of Gaff, who if you look at him, really doesn't do anything in the film except make origami figures out of paper and tin foil! So, basically he is a cop that really doesn't do any investigation work and leaves it all to Deckard! So, in that respect, this makes Gaff, a somewhat redundant character in himself.
And last of all is an inconsistency in Roy's lifespan as his incept date was 2016 and the film is based in 2019, so at the end of the film (SPOILER!!!) his body shuts down and he expires infront of Deckard's eyes. Yet, this guy still had one year of life left in him if the four year lifespan was anything to go by, so why would his body die a year early???! Perhaps he was just heartbroken at losing his replicant friends and that pre-empted the shut down. However it still doesn't make much sense that he would die so soon, so that remains another sizeable plot hole!
Anyway that's it for the flaws.
SUM UP
So, to sum up, Blade Runner despite any of its flaws and any of its various editions, is still a sci-fi classic that continues to stand the test of time. And it remains one of the most visually stunning films you will ever likely to see with its incredible optical effects and stunning photography not to mention featuring a cast, who are on top of their games here. So, for me it remains of the all time greats and one of the best films of its decade.
OK, so that's it for now and I will be back again soon with another post that will contain NEW content this time! Promise! In fact I will also get around to seeing Blade Runner: 2049 at some point soon, so you can definitely expect to see a review on that coming up.
So, till the next one, its bye for now!
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