visionary sci-fi, never surpassed.

Rating: 8/10 (17 July 2012)

I first saw "Blade Runner" on TV, with Harrison's dull narration (which did not help) and the so-called "Happy Ending". I have since seen all the later director's cut versions and "definitive" versions. All are worth checking out, the movie is more interesting the more you watch it.
Set in 2019 Los Angeles, (somewhat ironically now) the film details a cop recommissioned to take out replicants, illegal clones of human beings. Harrison Ford play Rick Deckard, his initial reluctance and extreme accuracy are major clues to an essential plot revelation that is unsettling. Sean Young, arguably her best performance, is Rachael, a very special replicant made by Tyrell, the head of the corp. that makes them. Rutger Hauer, absolutely brilliant here, is Batty, the leader of a small group that hijacked a ship off world and returned to earth to get answers.
The visual effects and set designs are among the best ever, the fact that this was made in '82 is astounding, it is in fact so wonderfully made that one must pay attention or be lost. Apparently many have been lost. The Replicants crime is simply wanting to be human, pure and simply, Zhora is trying to hide, Leon is trying to help Batty get answers from Tyrell, same for Priss. None of them act out of maliciousness or greed. Deckard is very good as his job, doesn't mean he likes it, notice his sidekick Gaff, played well by Edward James Olmos in an almost unreadable part, he knows more than he says. Deckard could deal with the replicants and even his empty, meaningless life in a cyber-punk LA, if not for Rachael. Note Harrison's line, "How can it not know what it is?" Telling her this is one of the cruelest acts in the movie, but Deckard barely cares, at first.
One of the main points of this film, that many miss, is that the bad guys aren't bad and the good guy not really all that good. The noir feel and the mystery are spellbinding and the more you view it, the better it gets. Since I think it helps the viewer understand the film here goes for all those who wonder, Deckard is a replicant. There are several clues in the film, the unicorn that Gaff makes twice! the replicants are referred to as Nexus 5 and sometimes 6, my guess is Deckard is a nexus 4 and Rachael a 7. Note also that Batty knows who Deckard is and when he's about to fall him saying "kinship!" This plot point makes the whole story work, but it is rather subliminal.
Much has been made about the revised cuts, like I said, I like them all. The quick ending is a abrupt but more in sync with the film, the "made for each other ending" more intriguing and gives a nice cap to the romance between Deckard and Rachael. the unique style of Ridley Scott and the heavy-snyth score of Vangelis plus a supporting cast that includes; Daryl Hannah, William Sanderson, M. Emmet Walsh and the late, great Brion James, "Blade Runner" is a classic sci-fi film that should not be missed and never dismissed.