If you like mature science fiction, if you like film noir, if you like contemporary realism; if you like good music & special effects then Blade Runner would have to be in the top 3 "I want..." movies available today.
A film that is almost 20 years old, failed at the box office, had lots of strife between actors, producers & director off-screen; the original version having a tacky ending; and the film itself disappeared without trace for a number of years.
And yet......
Blade Runner remained in the shadows of the videoshelf unnoticed until 1992 when director Ridley Scott brought out the Director's Cut with tacky ending & monologue expunged. From that point on BR grew from simple cult status to perhaps one of the best Sci-Fi films of all time - on a par with 2001 and Star Wars!
But to begin.....
The story is set 20 years in the future. Colonisation to other planets has begun leaving only the poor & the low-lifes left to inhabit the big cities like LA, a place of continuing black rain, darkness, pollution & social bleakness.
However, robots (or replicants as they're called) are in full service off-world, doing all the dangerous jobs humans don't want to do. Six of these replicants mutany, kill people and return to Earth in search of their creator - the Tyrell Corporation.
The leader of this highly intelligent, highly dangerous band is Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) who realises that all replicants only have a 4 year life span. Roy & co. want that extended, considerably!
The police are informed and bring in their top Blade Runner (Harrison Ford) to hunt and "retire" these renegades. And so begins 90 minutes of detective work, investigation, murder, abstract romance & intrigue.
Director Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, Thelma & Louise), has always been criticised for his films being "style over substance". It is true to say that Blade Runner is a visually stunning masterpiece although the quality of the charater-development & storyline pace is erratic & plodding to say the least.
However, the film holds up very well. Those expecting something akin to Star Wars meets Raiders of the Lost Ark, will be disappointed. The action sequences are few & far between; the story is mature and therefore slow to develop. The special effects are very good & realistic although not on a par with today's CGIs.
Harrison Ford is given a much more rounded character as Deckard the Blade Runner rather than the comic-strip hero of Raiders & Star Wars. As a consequence he finds it very difficult to offer any real depth or emotion as Deckard.
The real acting honours goes to Hauer as Ford's nemesis: suitably under played but with a hint of Aerian menace and ends the film with a beautifully rendered monologue of his short life!
Overall then, Blade Runner (the Director's Cut) is a superior film with only a few short comings. It's best viewed on the big screen in 70mm THX sound, but the tv compromise is nearly as good.
Highly recommended
*****/******
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Soundtrack
Outstanding
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Outstanding
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Horror - Director: Dominique Othenin-Girard, Jorge Montesi, Don Taylor, John Moore, Richard Donner - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over
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