Is there a film to beat Blade Runner? (Blade Runner (Remastered Directors Cut) (DVD))

Member Name: paulhanton

Product:	Blade Runner (Remastered Directors Cut) (DVD)
Date:	17/06/08 (131 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: All time great.

Disadvantages: Not everyones cup of tea.

Blade Runner. 1982. Really? 26 years old!

Ridley Scott at his best as a director (do get the director's cut). Based on a Philip. K. Dick novel, we see a very sullen and cynical Harrison Ford playing the part of a 'Blade runner' named Decker; basically a government backed assassin employed to kill deviant 'replicants', (androids). This is set some time in the future, 2019 to be precise, not so far now!

I am certainly not a Harrison Ford fan, the closet he has come to any good has been in Star Wars and that was only a 5/10 performance. However in this he is made for the part and it is in my opinion his best ever role. He plays it like a 40's detective, all rain coats and few words, drinking (of course), retired until this one last job (of course), shambles of an apartment (of course), falls for a replicant (of course, again) called Rachel, played by a sexy Sean Young, so he is torn by his duties and his feelings, guess what? of course! Yes, the film is full of clichés, but at least they are overt.

Sean Young plays an interesting part and I never know whether I fully believe her, or whether Rachel is manipulating and using Decker, or if they are using each other.

The replicants in question who have to be 'retired', four of them. They have come to Earth to track down the designer/builder of their type/model who has programmed them to 'die' at a certain age. They have been working in 'Off World' colonies, which is basically where people who have money go to; leaving those that can't afford it, to live in a crumbling yet futuristic American city.

A manipulative, sexy, yet vulnerable Darryl Hannah is central to a fair bit of the plot, and we get to see a moody, sexy and stellar performance by Rutger Hauer, these are two of the four replicants, the other two are not so essential, you will understand why when you watch the film.

Rutger Hauer plays the 'leader' of the replicants, Roy. I cannot emphasis enough what a fantastic piece of acting this is. He is at times charming, at times sexy, uber cool, very, very unpredictable and dangerous the whole time. He plays the intelligent and philosophical pinnacle of android creation and feels that his pre destined life span, were it to end, would be a tragic waste, and we start to see things his way, even when he is at his nastiest, and he can be nasty. I'll say no more about his role as I do not want to spoil things if you are one of the only few people in the Western world not to have seen this film. I will say that like all great 'characters' he is complex, multi dimensional and stirs us into changing our feelings towards him several times in the film.

All the main characters are deep in their own ways, and we see a simple story, goodie chases baddies, woven into many sub plots and twists.

The scenery and atmosphere are spellbinding; gothic, yet art deco too, the acting is 'sparse' just enough to tell the story. We see the contrast between the everyday futuristic gadgetry and advertising, with the ramshackle food stalls. The same contrast exists between the animated 'extra's and those playing minor roles, with those acting the leads that are not exactly animated. This contrast is only highlighted further by the flashing neon signs that stand out against the bleak background where it is raining, seemingly endlessly.

There is violence in this film, as one would expect, and it is at times quite disturbing, not that it is so graphic or gory, but that it seems almost casual in its execution. There are also some 'explosive' bits of violence, that we sometimes see, and are sometimes simply related or hinted at.

The music is moody, composed mostly and arranged by Vangelis; the 'love song' is one of the best movie saxophone solo's there is.

So how does it all end up? Do they all die? Do they all live? Does Decker run off into retirement with Rachel on his arm?

I won't spoil the ending suffice to say that there is a monologue that stirs emotions and a scene which is one of the best scenes in any movie, ever. The ending also throws up a fair few questions which cinema buffs and Blade Runner fans are still debating, over a quarter of a century on.

A cult film and rightly so, my all time number 1, why? Because every time I watch it (I have seen it well over 50 times) I find something new, or I am left with another question. I am off to 'retire' this version, the directors cut, to buy the 'final cut' now it has come down in price to around £25, can't wait.

Summary: Blade Runner.